I don't believe in no Ghosts
by djinni14
Summary: Castle believes in magic and faerie tales and happy endings, Kate Beckett however doesn't have that kind of faith. But is she willing to learn? Because she is going to have a major obstacle to overcome to get her happy ending. - COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**CH1**

Kate Beckett was happy! No that wasn't right either, she was deliriously happy. Giddy happy.

Lanie had called and wanted to know if Kate wanted to go out for a ladies night tonight, however after listening to Kate, Lanie had hung up the phone. "I'll be right over." Lanie had told her.

Kate hadn't told Lanie anything, she was keeping it to herself. Kate was happy and scared all at the same time.

Kate was bursting at the seams and was wondering around her apartment doing nothing but smiling and giggling to herself.

Then there was a knock on her door and Kate strode for the door and without looking thru the peep hole to see who it was, she opened the door.

Lanie strode right thru and marched into the living room. "Come on in Lanie." Kate mumbles out and closes and locks the door.

Kate follows Lanie into her living room. "Katherine Beckett you better start talking." Lanie glares at Kate. Normally the look she was getting would break some of Kate's walls in a heartbeat. Problem was there weren't any walls to break this time.

"Talk about what Lanie?" Kate to not look guilty and use her best poker face.

"Don't give me that Katherine Beckett. I could feel your smile on the other end of the phone. And that smile you are trying so hard to hide right now tells me different. So start talking." Lanie wasn't having any of it.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Kate was enjoying this. Problem was it was making her smile even bigger.

"I am so going to smack you girl. …. And why are you glowing?" Lanie counters with her arms crossed.

"Glowing?" Kate asks not knowing she is. But since she had spent the entire night having the most mind blowing sex of her life. No that wasn't right either. It wasn't sex. Kate had, had sex before. What they had spent the night doing wasn't sex. It was something else, something that she didn't know could happen. EVER!

"Yes glowing. Now start talking." Lanie was all set to punch her if Kate delayed one more second.

Kate relented. "Oh Lanie, it's amazing. I've never felt like this about anyone before. He makes me feel like, …. Oh I don't know. I love him Lanie, I love him so much. …. I can even feel my fingertips tingling still." Kate's tears were starting and she wasn't interested in stopping them.

Oh sweetie, please tell me we are talking about Castle." Lanie started praying that Kate had finally woken up and seen the obvious.

Kate wipes away a few of the tears and nods her head.

Lanie squeals and launches herself and Kate and hugs her. "Oh girl I thought you would never see the light."

Kate just gives Lanie a 'What are you talking about?' look.

"Katherine Beckett everyone in the 12th knows you love Castle. We've been watching you two play "I love you eyes" and listened to your flirting for the last two years. I just don't understand why you couldn't see it." Lanie was still ready to hit her.

"He's my partner Lanie. My best friend next to you. I didn't want to lose him. …. Lanie I'm still afraid of losing him. If Montgomery finds out about us he could send Castle packing. There is a no dating your partner clause. If they find out I could lose him as my partner and I can't have that.

I want him there, I can't afford to lose him." Kate was still scared of losing him because she loves him.

"Honey we are talking about Montgomery here. Who do you think let Castle in, in the first place?" Lanie didn't see the problem.

Suddenly Kate felt better. "You think so?" Good things like this didn't happen to Kate Beckett.

"So where is writer-boy now?" Lanie wanted to know why Kate wasn't in his bed where she should be.

"He left here this morning on a book tour for one week. He promised to call." Kate told her missing Castle already.

"He left here? Here, here?" Lanie wanted details.

Kate grinned having been caught in her slip up, so Kate nodded her head.

"So you and Castle finally, …." Lanie wanted to know.

"Yes Lanie, me and Castle. All night long last night even." Kate started blushing a nice crimson color.

"All night as in, …." Lanie trails off impressed beyond words.

"Yea Lanie, as in all night. Castle only left this morning." Kate rolls her eyes.

"If he only just left why are you clean? Where is your bed head?" Lanie didn't think Kate was lying, but still her words didn't fit the facts of what she sees.

Kate goes back to blushing. "Because we did it in the shower this morning before he left." Kate tells Lanie knowing she would drag it out of her anyway.

"All night?" Lanie tries again.

Kate rolls her eyes again. "Yes Lanie, all night."

Lanie moves in and hugs Kate again. "I'm happy for you girl. So what finally got you to see the light the rest of us can see so clearly?" Lanie wanted to know what changed.

Lanie had been her best friend for a long time now, so she decided to take another chance, since she had already taken a big one.

Kate walks over to a drawer and pulls out a paper and walks back to Lanie. "Lanie you remember the trip to L.A. that I took a little while ago."

"The one where you went chasing after the guy who killed Royce your training partner. The one Montgomery told you to drop." Lanie points out.

Kate looks at her shocked.

"Just because I work in the basement doesn't mean I don't know things." Lanie puts her hands on her hips and gives Kate a look. "Wait, did Castle go with you?" Lanie thinks she is onto something.

"He followed me out there yeah. He actually helped me catch him." Kate confides.

"And you came to your senses while you were out there?" Lanie was hoping.

"Yes and no. There was a moment where I was willing to start things with Castle but I chickened out. I went to my room and he went to his." Kate starts her story.

"WAIT! You two shared a room?" Lanie was either shocked or impressed.

"It was a two bedroom suite. Castle had his room and I had mine." Kate corrects her.

"Castle chased you out to L.A. and you did nothing. The man is crazy about you and has been proving it to you for the last two years or more, and nothing happened." Lanie was getting mad at her friend. Except she was with Castle now. So what changed? Plus this was weeks ago.

"It almost happened. I even re-opened my door to go back out to him, but he had gone to his room." Kate clarifies.

"So what changed Kate?" Lanie didn't see how she got to now.

"This." Kate hands over the letter Royce wrote to her.

It takes Lanie a moment or two to read it and get to the end where even Royce who hadn't been around these two all that much could see it. "Having Royce see what you couldn't finally got you to come to your senses?" Lanie hands Kate back the letter.

"I read it on the plane trip home with Castle sitting next to me, sleeping. When we got home Castle wouldn't let me go home without taking me to dinner first. …. We got to talking and it was just so easy to talk to him. The longer it lasted the less afraid I got.

I got clumsy and spilled his drink on him and we went to his place so he could change and he asked me to stay to watch a movie. … I woke up still on the sofa, sleeping on Castle and the movie was over and Castle was just staring at me, so I kissed him. … I've been spending my nights at his place ever sense." Kate finally gets out.

"Except for last night I'm guessing?" Lanie deduces.

"I ran out of clean clothes at his place and we came over to get more to take to his place, and we just kinda stayed here. … Then we got up early and took a shower together, then went over to his place to pack. … Castle took a car service to the airport and I came home to get more clothes before I went back over to his place." Kate explains the last few weeks just leaving out all the juicy parts.

"You're going to stay at Castle's place while Castle is gone?" Getting a nod from Kate. "Does his daughter know about this?" Meaning does Alexis approve?

"After Castle left, Martha called and talked me into staying there to wait for him to come home. She didn't want me to sit here all alone waiting. I've even got plans with Alexis while he is gone. She wouldn't tell me what, just that I would love them." Kate explains.

"You have Alexis's seal of approval?" Lanie was impressed now. "Well come on girl let's get you packed and over to Castle's place." Lanie grabs a hold of Kate and drags her into her bedroom.

"You find a suitcase and I'll start throwing stuff on the bed for you to pack." And Lanie pushes Kate into the closet.

Lanie was going thru Kate's drawers throwing stuff on the bed for Kate to pack, when Lanie found something she didn't know Kate even had. Let alone what possessed her to buy it. It was most definitely going in the suitcase and got tossed on the bed.

Kate came out to find a pile on her bed that wasn't going to leave room for much else. "Laine, I'm not moving in." Kate wasn't sure there was anything left in her drawers.

"Just pack it Kate and stop giving me grief. … You can thank me later." And Lanie opened the suitcase and started filling it, while Kate went back into the closet for clothes to wear.

It took some work and Lanie sitting on Kate's suitcase to get it to close, but they were finally done.

Then Lanie hustled her out of the apartment before Kate had a chance to chicken out and change her mind.

With her suitcase in a cab, Lanie hugged Kate. "I'm just happy for you girl. Lord knows you deserve to be happy, and I know Castle knows how to make you happy. Now get your skinny butt over there and wait for your man to come home." And all but pushes Kate into the cab.

"And I expect details Kate Beckett." Lanie yells just as the cab pulls away.

"My god I thought that girl would never come to her senses." Lanie wipes away a tear and heads for her apartment to await word from Kate on how it is going.

Kate checks in with the door man out front and drags her suitcase into the elevator. Making it to Castle's floor Kate stops. This is a big step, no matter how happy she is, this is big. She will be staying with Castle's mother and his daughter.

Kate has a key that Castle gave her before he left on his book tour. Castle had told her that Martha and Alexis were already expecting her and that she had her own key. However Kate decided to knock instead.

It only took a moment for the door to open. "Katherine!" Martha steps out thru the door to hug Kate. "Come in dear, come in. … You just take that thing thru that door there." Martha points to the door that leads to Castle's bedroom. A place Kate has been staying in for weeks now.

Kate has made it into the bedroom and has her bag open on the bed. "Alexis dear, Katherine is back." Kate can hear Martha yell upstairs no doubt.

It is only moments before Kate can hear someone enter the bedroom. "Let me help." Alexis tells Kate and grabs the first thing she finds on top and takes it into the closet to hang it up.

Alexis and Kate have her suitcase empty in no time. "I'm glad you're here detective Beckett." Alexis gives Kate a quick hug.

This is not something Kate was expecting. Sure Kate had spent some time with Alexis while she had been staying here for the last few weeks, but Castle was gone and it was just her, Alexis and Martha.

"You can call me Kate, Alexis." Kate asks bashful. Kate knew getting involved with Castle came with Alexis but she was still uncomfortable around her.

Alexis grabs Kate's hand. "Come on you can help me make lunch. Dad and I cook together a lot." And Alexis drags Kate into the kitchen.

"Here you can chop the vegetables while I get out the chicken and warm up the wok." Alexis offers.

Kate goes thru the huge double door refrigerator that was twice as big as her refrigerator/freezer she had, and starts pulling out vegetables. Then grabs a knife.

"Here you need to wear these. They keep you from crying when you chop the onions." Alexis hands over something that looks like a pair of sunglasses except the lenses are not dark.

Kate puts them on and starts chopping. Kate soon found that the glasses did help, even if she was convinced she looked funny wearing them.

Martha came downstairs while Kate was chopping still and Alexis had her back to her watching the wok while slicing chicken breasts.

Martha walked into the kitchen and pulled out a glass and then pulled out a wine bottle from the refrigerator. After Martha was done. "Would you like one Katherine?" Martha suddenly remembers her manners.

"Yes please, thank you Martha." Kate tells her and watches Martha get another glass and pour for Kate.

Kate stops momentarily to take a sip. Martha takes this moment to place a hand on Kate's that's not holding the glass.

"I can't begin to thank you for agreeing to stay Katherine. I'm sure my son is happy knowing you are not sitting at home all alone." Martha looks directly at Kate.

Kate could feel a ripple of a feeling she hadn't felt in years work its way down her back. "Thank you Martha." Kate was sure a blush was working its way up her neck on its way to her face.

"You're always welcome here dear. …. Did my son not give you a key?" Martha asks knowing Kate knocked instead of just entering.

"He did but it felt better to knock first." Kate just wasn't sure this was her place.

"Nonsense dear, you have a key. Use it, it's why Richard gave it to you. You live here. …. Are you all unpacked?" Martha would help if she needed it.

"I helped her grams. Dad left space for everything." Alexis answers for Kate. "I think we are ready if you are done." Alexis adds.

Kate hands over all her chopped vegetables, then takes her glasses off and watches Alexis work the wok with practiced ease. Castle had obviously been teaching her.

'This will only take a few minutes if you want to set the table." Alexis offers.

Kate had been here long enough that she knew where most everything was and had the table set in no time.

Alexis dished out what she had cooked onto three plates, then rinsed everything and set it in the sink for moving into the dishwasher later.

Each took a plate and sat down at the table. "How is school?" Kate starts off.

This gets Kate to learn everything there was to know about Alexis's next to last test of the school year that she was studying for.

"You want some help, I'd be happy to shoot questions at you." Kate was willing to help, plus it gave her a chance to learn more about the young lady.

"Thanks, that would be nice." Alexis had always studied alone.

"Good you just let me know when you are ready and I'll come up and help you." Kate also wanted to know more about what Alexis was studying. Kate could remember her semesters at Stanford.

The rest of lunch was light talk about not much of anything.

Kate was finding it relaxing. Alexis and Martha were actually including her into their talk and lives. And it was a welcome change from talking about work all day. Which reminded her, she was off tomorrow but was on call if they needed her.

Since Alexis cooked, Kate insisted on cleaning up after it. Kate may be or feel like a guest but she wanted to be useful.

"Detective Beckett?" Alexis shakes her head and looks down at the floor. "Kate, are you off work tomorrow?" Alexis had a plan if she was free.

"I'm actually, however I'm on call so if they need help I have to go in." Kate answers wondering what Alexis was up to.

"Good, I wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping with me? Stop and eat lunch somewhere and maybe get our nails done." Alexis wanted to spend time with Kate. Her dad obviously liked her and he had changed ever since her dad had met her. Alexis wanted to see what her dad saw in her.

Plus it would be nice to do something with a grown woman instead of going out with Paige or have to make nice with her mother when she suddenly decided to show up. Kinda wishing her mother would never show up again which made her sad she was thinking such things.

"That would be nice Alexis I would love to." Kate was pleasantly surprised. Alexis seemed to want to spend time with her.

Kate started wondering something but quickly squashed it. It was far too early to start thinking thoughts like that. However she had decided to let Castle in and it felt great. Maybe this would feel just as great too.

Maybe, just maybe!?


	2. Chapter 2

**CH2**

Martha had thanked them both for lunch just before she went up to her room.

"Want to watch a movie with me?" Alexis asked Kate.

"Sure you select one while I go wash lunch off my hands and I'll be right back." Kate headed for the master bedroom on suite. The entire room had Castle written all over it. As she passed by the bed Kate suddenly felt she was going to be lonely sleeping in that big bed without Castle being in it.

Kate had never been clingy before and had never really wanted the men she had slept with to spend the night and wake up next to them the next day. Now all she wanted was Castle next to her.

Kate started to blush when she suddenly found herself hoping that the bed smelled like Castle. She wanted him close and was going to miss him the entire week he was going to be gone.

After washing Kate strode back thru the bedroom and out into the living room finding Alexis sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

Kate sat down near Alexis just not directly next to her. "So what are we watching?" Wondering what Alexis was thinking.

"Is Forbidden Planet ok?" Alexis asks softly not sure what kind of movies Kate likes.

Kate suddenly perked up. "I LOVE that movie!" Kate was suddenly glad she had said yes.

Alexis started grinning. "It's one of my dads and I's favorites. We've watched it countless times." Alexis was glad her choice met with Kate's approval.

"Oh really?" Kate was going to kill Castle when he got back. She had taken him to see the movie thinking he had never seen it before. Now she is finding out he knew all about the movie all along.

Then Kate was grinning, remembering how much fun her and Castle had, had watching the movie. Eating popcorn and letting Castle eat all that sugar candy he had bought.

"Is there popcorn?" Kate suddenly asks remembering when her and Castle had watched it together.

"Yup I can make some." And Alexis hopped up and squeezed out some oil into the popper, then turning it on to heat it up. Then pouring in the popcorn and popcorn salt out of the packaged popcorn pre-measured packet.

"You want some kettle corn, cajun or cheese topping? Or maybe some extra melted butter?" Alexis calls from the kitchen.

"Extra butter would be great thanks." Kate calls back.

Alexis has poured on the extra butter. "Soda or water?" Alexis calls from the kitchen again.

"Soda would be great." Kate started to feel guilty that Alexis was doing all the work.

Alexis was soon back with a large bowl of popcorn and two 12oz cans of soda's with cooling sleeves to help keep it cold.

Kate scooted over to sit right next to Alexis shoulder to shoulder to help share the bowl of popcorn.

"The United Planets Cruiser C57-D travels to the planet Altair IV, 16 light-years from Earth." Kate comments just as the UFO looking space ship approaches the planet.

"And here comes _Robby the Robot." _Alexis comments.

"Who do you like more Robby the Robot or Robot from Lost in Space?" Kate suddenly asks Alexis.

"You mean the first one? Class M-3 Model B9, General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot? Or the second one?" Alexis asks.

Kate was suddenly impressed. Even she didn't know it beyond it being called robot. "The first one is the only one." Kate was not impressed with the second one.

"I'll take Robby the Robot any day." Alexis answers.

Alexis suddenly starts flapping her arms. "Danger Will Robinson. …. Seriously?" Alexis was not impressed.

Kate starts laughing and pops some popcorn in her mouth.

"What was the name of the ship they came here on?" Alexis suddenly asks.

"That's easy, the _Bellerophon_." Kate tells her.

"What did Robby make using up all the crewman had left?" Kate suddenly asks.

"60 gallons of Kentucky Bourbon that doesn't leave you with a hangover." Alexis answers thinking that was an easy question.

"How long ago did the Krell die off?" Alexis asks.

"Easy, 200,000 years." Kate answers, having fun watching the movie and sharing trivia questions with Alexis.

The movie was over, the popcorn was all gone and Kate and Alexis were still sitting next to each other.

"Thanks Kate that was fun." Alexis tells her meaning it.

"Yes it was. Try this again tomorrow provided I don't catch a case?" Kate offers.

"Sure, you can pick next time." Alexis starts to clean up.

"No, no. You made it you can let me clean up. Battlestar Gallactica next time?" Kate offers.

"The old one or the new one?" Alexis asks knowing which one she likes.

"The first one of course. Human robots? Seriously?" Kate was not impressed, even if the first one was a little too cheap Hollywood.

"Deal!" Alexis approved of Kate's taste in movies. "Help me with my homework?" Alexis wonders if Kate was still interested.

"Of course, let me clean up and use the bathroom and I'll be right up." Kate had every intention of helping her. Today, tomorrow and every day she was here.

Alexis smiled happy Kate was interested in her and left Kate to clean up and went upstairs to get her homework out.

It only took Kate a few minutes to clean up and she was upstairs knocking on the door frame looking in.

Kate liked it. It was bigger than any of the rooms she had when growing up and it wasn't a pretty pink or bright purple. It was actually a little understated in color. It seemed to fit Alexis's personality quite nicely. The bed looked to be queen size, lots of floor space, a reading desk with a laptop sitting on it.

There was one of those old fashioned bean bags on one wall, and even the walls had pictures. And just like Alexis they were not of some punk rock group like Kate had on her walls when she was about this age.

Alexis was definitely NOT a rebellious teenager type.

"So what's first?" Kate asks, curious how this was going to work.

"Here is the class book." And Alexis hands over a big fat class book.

"This is a medical text book." Kate is shocked.

Yea, Dr. Parrish gave it to me. She accepted me as a training apprentice starting Monday. She gave me that last week so I could study up on what to expect so I could help her." Alexis explains.

"You're going to be at the 12th starting Monday?" Kate wasn't sure what she thought about this.

"My motto is to try and expand and challenge myself. Dr. Parrish is willing to help me decide if medical is what I want to do." Alexis explains.

"Does your father know you are going to be working with Lanie?" Kate figures Castle was going to lose his mind if he didn't know. And if he didn't Kate was going to help Alexis even more than she was already willing to. Just to see Castle's face.

"No, you're not going to tell him are you?" Alexis fears if her dad knew he would stop her.

"And miss watching Castle lose his mind? Not a chance." Kate was grinning while chuckling at the same time.

Alexis was glad she was safe. She was counting on once she was in her father couldn't throw her out and send her home.

"Just pick a section and start asking me questions based on what you find to read to me, and hopefully I know the answer." Alexis tells her.

Kate and Alexis did that for the next three hours only stopping to go down to the kitchen for some water.

Alexis had, had enough and was willing to stop for the day. "Thanks Kate, you've been a big help."

"I'm glad to have helped Alexis. It'll be nice to have another Castle to talk to during the day. … You sure you want to work with dead bodies?" Kate was a little worried about her, especially if she went out to crime scenes with Lanie.

"Dr. Parrish has already been helping me with that, it's just really cool." Alexis didn't see a problem.

"Well I'm going to go start dinner." Kate tells her getting up to leave.

"We can order in, you don't have to cook." Alexis was used to ordering take-out when her father was gone, since grams cooking was got good.

"It's not a problem Alexis, I know how to cook. My mother taught me, I just don't have an excuse to cook very often. With Castle being gone I have an excuse, so you are going to get a meal ala Kate Beckett. … Although to be honest it's going to be my mother's recipe." Kate had to give her mother credit.

"You want some help?" Alexis helps her dad so she can help Kate.

"Sure, my mom taught me so I can teach you." Kate was willing to pass on her mothers recipe. It meant something of her mother would last into the next generation.

Alexis had an instant smile. Kate may be willing to do it for her mother, however Alexis heard Kate kinda refer to her as her daughter.

Alexis had a mother but she was one weird lady who only seemed to want to make things worse. Alexis wanted to like her since she was her mother, but was always sad when she did show up. And she was tired of trying to make nice with her.

Alexis liked Kate and was learning to like her more, just not as a mother. Yet.

Kate and Alexis were in the kitchen when Martha came down and found them working together.

"You two are cooking?" Martha was a little shocked, she was expecting to come downstairs and ask what they were ordering in.

"Kate knows how to cook grams." Alexis had been impressed so far and was sucking up everything Kate was telling her like a sponge.

"It's no big deal Martha, it's actually kinda fun cooking what my mother taught me." Kate really was enjoying herself.

"Richard told us your mother is gone, but not much more. Did she die in an accident?" Martha knew a little more than that actually, she was just testing to see how much Kate was willing to share now.

Kate shook her head. "She was murdered in an alley somewhere. I was 19 and home from college for a little while. Dad and I were waiting for her at a restaurant that we had agreed to meet her at, only she never showed after two hours.

When we got home there was a detective waiting for us, a detective Raglan. They had found her stabbed in an alley not overly far from where we were waiting for her." Alexis didn't really like reliving it, but they were Castle's family and she was falling in love with Castle, big time.

"Mugging?" Martha guesses. New York can be a dangerous city for anyone.

Kate shakes her head. "No, she still had her purse, money, credit cards and jewelry. They never found anyone and wrote it off as a random gang killing. Wrong place at the wrong time." Kate tells them.

Martha got up off the breakfast bar stool and walked around to hug Katherine. "I'm so sorry Katherine." Martha lets go of her. "I know it is a weak word to be using. Maybe Richard knows of a better one, but no one should lose their mother. … Were you two close?" Meaning better than Meredith who Martha disliked.

"We were very close, she was my best friend. We talked about everything." Kate stopped when Alexis suddenly hugged her.

Alexis didn't have a mother either. At least not one that was her best friend. Alexis's best friend was her dad, whom she told everything. Still he wasn't a mother no matter how much she loved him.

Kate didn't know what the jug was for but decided to hug Alexis back. Amazingly she felt some of the pain of the memory fade away. Was this what you gained when you had a family to support you? Kate hadn't had a family to help her in years.

Problem was it was causing something else too, something that Kate called weakness and her tears were starting.

Kate let go of Alexis and ran for the master bedroom closing the door as she went.

"Grams?" Alexis stood there confused. She thought they were making progress.

"You just stay here dear and keep the food warm, let me handle this." Martha tells Alexis and heads for the master bedroom.

Martha knocks but doesn't wait for a reply and opens the door. Inside she finds Kate sitting on the bed up against the headboard with her knees against her chest and her arms wrapped around them holding them tight, and crying.

Martha closes the door in case Alexis didn't listen and walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. "What is it Katherine?" Martha just wanted to help.

Kate however shakes her head. "Go away Martha." Kate was going to handle this on her own, like she always had.

"No dear, not this time. Losing your mother was painful and I can understand that. I may not know what it feels like, but I understand it. But hiding from the pain isn't going to make it go away.

Talk to me Katherine. I may not be your mother but I am Richards's mother. I bet I can help if you will let me." Kate was hurting Martha could see that much, just not why so much still after all this time.

"It's, … complicated Martha." Kate would handle it alone, hopefully without hurting Martha's feelings in the process.

"No dear, it's not. It's only complicated if you let it be that way. You're hurting, but I'm a mother. Tell me what's wrong dear, or dinner and my wine are going to be very late." Martha wasn't leaving until she got answers and had helped Kate heal the pain.

Kate took a big breath and decided that if she loved Castle, Martha deserved to know. Besides if her and Castle stayed together she would have to explain eventually. "I was 19 and mom was dead, and all these people were in our home. Most I had never even heard of before, telling me and my dad how sorry they were.

I withdrew from the world and dad started drinking. I'd come home and find him passed out on the floor, sometimes in his own pool of vomit. …. I'd lift him up and get him into bed and clean up the mess and dump all the alcohol I could find down the drain.

But he would just find more somehow. I even had to take him to the hospital a couple of times since I couldn't get him to wake up. Only to be told later that he had almost died and that his heart had actually stopped a couple of times.

It never seemed to stop. And all those nameless people at the funeral weren't there to help me.

I quit Stanford and stopped trying to become a lawyer, just like my parents. I was going to become a Supreme Court Justice. But all that was gone.

I went to the police academy to learn to be a detective. I was going to find out who killed my mother even if no one else was.

I learned to do everything for myself without anyone's help." Kate wiped away a few tears that had never actually stopped. Still not sure why she was baring her soul to Martha. Castle knew most of this, maybe not everything. Even now Kate hadn't laid out an entire picture of the last 15 or so years.

Now Martha understood. No family to support her, no one tell help her. Katherine was the parent starting at 19 years old.

"Oh Katherine." Martha moved across the bed to wrap her arms around her. Martha couldn't undo the past, she could only be there for Kate now. Martha started rubbing circles on Kate's back and cooing in her ear.

It was all just too much for Kate, she had never had anyone to mother her for so long. She wrapped her arms around Martha and just started crying. Kate had 15 or so years of crying on a mothers shoulder to get out of her system.

Martha never moved an inch except to hold onto Katherine and not let go, occasionally wiping away some of her own tears. Families were there to support you when you needed it. Kate had lost hers years ago and Martha was going to give her one. Or at least some motherly love and advice when Martha thought she needed it or when Kate came to her.

After Kate started to calm down. "You're with us now dear." Martha pulled back but didn't let go of Kate so she could look at her. "We, Alexis, Richard and I are here to help you dear. Families don't judge, we just help each other.

Let us help you dear. There is no need to run off and try to handle things alone. Not this or anything else that may come up in the future. You have us now. You can come to us, don't shut us out dear." Martha looks deep into Kate's eyes to see if she is getting through to her.

Kate sniffles and wipes away a few tears with the back of her hand, like a child would do. "Why Martha? We're not family." Kate's was pretty much busted and her and Castle weren't that close. At least not yet. Which was something else for Kate to think about. Did they have a future together? Did Castle want to have one?

"Katherine, that's easy, you're a detective. My son loves you and I've never seen him this happy his entire life. You've brought out a side of him that has been hidden for a long time. And I'm pretty sure you feel the same way, or you wouldn't have been spending that last few weeks, … or months with us.

Tell me I'm wrong dear,." Martha challenges Kate. Let's see if Kate can admit it to herself.

Kate starts blushing and wipes away more tears with her fingers this time, smiles and nods her head, then shakes it since Martha was right.

"Good! … Now let's get up and get you into the bathroom so you can wash away those tears and meet us in the dining room. I for one am hungry and I'm dying to find out how good a cook you are since your mother taught you. … Let's see what you have learned, shall we." Martha gets up and holds out her hands to help Katherine up.

Kate takes her hands and climbs out of bed and lets Martha push her towards the on-suite bathroom while Martha heads for the kitchen, satisfied that her motherly duties are over and accomplished the desired result.

Kate may not have a mother, but Martha was going to do what she could. Katherine was good for her son and she wanted it to stay that way.


	3. Chapter 3

**CH 3**

Alexis descended on Martha as soon as she came anywhere near the kitchen. "Is Kate ok? What's wrong?" Alexis didn't want to be left out. She wanted to help too if she could.

"Katherine will be fine dear. Remembering that her mother was gone and here she is cooking for us brought back bad memories." Martha tried to make it simple.

"Then I'll do all the cooking from now on." Alexis didn't want it to happen again.

"It's not the cooking itself dear. Katherine lost her mother when she was not much older than you are. When she had gone Kate grew up on her own. She's just not used to having a family to help her." Martha hoped Alexis could see.

"Then we'll just have to make her one of ours." Alexis says with conviction. If Kate needed a family she was going to get one.

"Let's get dinner on the table shall we and wait for Katherine to clean up and join us." Martha offered.

And together they went into the kitchen and started dishing out the food onto plates while Martha got the wine glasses for the two of them filled.

Kate was soon out and sitting at the table with Alexis and Martha. Alexis remained quiet at first letting Kate get settled.

"This is delicious Katherine. Seems you were paying attention to what your mother taught you." Martha was impressed; it rivaled even what her son cooked.

"Thanks Martha." Kate answers a little shy, not used to family compliments.

"Can you teach me Kate?" If her mother taught Kate then could Kate teach her. Her dad was teaching her but this would get Kate involved too.

"Sure, I don't think my mother would mind me passing on her recipes." Kate was willing, and cooking with Alexis reminded her of the good times when she was cooking with her mother.

Dinner conversation was just small talk that had no real meaning. No big decisions were made.

Since Kate made the mess Alexis insisted that Kate let her clean up and shooed her over to the sofa to sit. Martha soon joined her with her wine glass.

"You're a fine cook Katherine. Between you and my son you are both going to have us all fat in no time." Martha tells her sipping her wine.

"Thanks Martha. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to cook with someone." Kate had enjoyed it and spending time with Alexis teaching her.

"I think that's my point dear. You've been doing things alone for far too long. Families are there for support. Neither Alexis, my son or I are going to judge you dear. That's not how it works. … Next time let us help you. There is no shame in needing help." Martha tries to make her point and get it across.

"I know Martha, it's just not that easy for me." Breaking something she had grown up doing after he mother died.

"I know dear. It won't happen overnight, but next time think of it this way. If you are going to arrest one of yours and Castle's bad guys, and you knew he was armed, would you go in all alone?" Martha tries a police approach.

Kate shakes her head. "We'd call for back-up." Or get chewed out by her captain.

"And is doing so a sign of weakness? Or are you recognizing that you need help from your police family?" Martha tries.

Kate had to think about that. She would call for back-up because it was regulation and it was the safer thing to do, not because she was weak.

Martha patted her hand. "You think about it dear, we'll be here when you need us. … Now I need my beauty sleep so I'm going to retire for the night. You and Alexis have a pleasant evening dear." Martha takes her wine glass and goes upstairs.

Alexis moves over to the sofa after finish cleaning up from dinner. "I'm going to go to my room to read. Is there something you need Kate?"

"I'm fine Alexis, honestly. Actually I was thinking of reading something too." Kate tells her. Kate was just not a TV person. It wasn't a boob tube it was dumb tube to her.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" Had Kate changed her mind?

"Oh yes, I'm looking forward to it. Say 10:00 am. …. You sure you don't have school?" Kate didn't want to be staying here and have Alexis feel she had to stay home and entertain her.

Alexis shakes her head. "Their having some kind of teacher conference tomorrow so there is no school. I'll be down for breakfast and we can make plans." Alexis tells her.

'I'll be up, showered and ready to go. How are we going to get there?" Kate was curious.

"Dad has a car service I'm supposed to use when I go out, we can call them in the morning. …. Good night Kate." And Alexis heads for the stairs and her room.

"Good night Alexis." Kate watched her go.

Kate now sat in the loft all alone. It was a big space. So much bigger than her apartment. There were a few feminine items here and there, probably due to Alexis or Martha. However it really did say Castle everywhere she looked and she liked it.

Kate never had been an overly girly person so this place while not exactly what she would do, still it was very nice.

Kate decided to find something to read and moved over to the large bookcase that held a lot of books. Kate ran her fingers over a lot of them reading what each one was.

Kate finally found one that looked interesting, so she pulled it down and read the back cover and inner jacket to see what it was about.

Sleep Tight

When Olivia Brookes calls the police to report that her husband and children are missing, she believes she will never see them again. She has reason to fear the worst; this isn't the first tragedy that Olivia has experienced. Now, two years later, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas is called in to investigate this family again, but this time it's Olivia who has disappeared. All the evidence suggests that she was here, in the family home, that morning.

But her car is in the garage, and her purse is in her handbag – on the kitchen table. The police want to issue an appeal, but for some reason every single picture of this family has been removed from albums, from phones, from computers.

Kate had been reading for a couple of hours and was enjoying it when she heard a noise. It didn't have anything to do with what was happening in the book at the time so she was momentarily confused.

It was her cell phone! Now she just had to find it.

Picking up her cell phone she saw who was calling her and a huge smile hit her face. "Hi Castle." Glad that he had called her.

"Hi Kate, how are things going for your day off." Castle knew she had the day off. "Are you at your apartment?" Castle doesn't wait for her to answer.

"It's been great and no I'm not at my apartment. I was only there long enough to move a few more clothes over to the loft. …. Alexis and Martha have been great." They had both made her feel at home.

"Good, I gave you a key hoping you would use it and keep them both company while I'm gone." Castle was happy.

"They've both been great Castle. How is your tour so far? Where did you start again?" Kate only remembered he was going to lots of cities. Hearing that he was leaving and leaving with his ex-wife was the only things that had gotten her attention.

"Our first stop today was Charlotte North Carolina, and there were two book stores that we went to. Tomorrow is Jacksonville, Florida where there is thankfully only one book store this time." Castle reminds Kate of his travel itinerary again. Not that he's mad, even he can't remember what's after Jacksonville.

"So are you having fun?" Kate hoped his tour was at least a little fun since he was forced to go on one as part of his contract.

"Kate, I know it may sound like fun to you, but trust me. It is wayyyyy boring. Hour after hour of sitting behind a fold out table in a hard as rock folding chair. Smiling at all the people who tell me I'm their favorite author, asking for their name, make nice and sign their book. Trust me boring doesn't begin to describe the whole process." Rick hated all of his tours. He may get around the country but all he sees are book stores. It's not like he was on vacation.

"Oh my poor baby. It's not exciting enough for you? Like driving around town trying to find some woman's biker guy boy friend who is not just from the wrong side of the tracks but is actually ON the other side of the tracks." Kate teases.

"Yes actually I'll take that any day since it means I would be with you doing it. I'd go literally anywhere if it meant going with you." Castle really did just want her.

"That's sweet Castle." Kate liked being wanted.

"Hang on there is someone at the door." Castle went to answer his hotel room door.

"What do you want Gina?" Castle sounded pissed. "NO I'm not going to dinner with you." Castle sounded even more pissed.

Kate couldn't hear what Gina was saying. Her voice must be too soft to carry far.

"Yes I'm on the phone." Castle wanted this conversation to end though he didn't even want to start it in the first place. "Who I'm talking to is none of your concern." Castle was reaching his breaking point.

"Yes I know we are moving to the next city tomorrow." Castle had his itinerary around here somewhere.

"No I'm not having breakfast with you either. Now go away Gina. I'm busy." And Kate can hear the door slam closed.

Kate kinda hoped it slammed into Gina's nose since his ex-wife was taking up her boyfriend's time and she didn't like it.

Wait, boyfriend? He's her partner at work and she's dating him and spending her time off work at his place. So maybe that did make him her boyfriend. He certainly wasn't her husband. No definitely not ready to have a fiance.

"Sorry about that, sometimes she forgets she's my ex-wife and why she's my ex-wife. Gina is such a, …. " Castle trails off since he didn't want this conversation to be about her.

"Castle, why did you marry her in the first place?" Kate didn't understand how he could have married her in the first place. You got married because you loved someone. Didn't you?

Castle took a moment to figure out how much to tell Kate. "After I caught Meredith riding her director and getting a divorce. Meredith disappeared and has never been a mother for Alexis. Not that she was any kind of mother even before the divorce. I kept hoping she would, but I guess being a mother just isn't Meredith. ….I wanted desperately for Alexis to have a mother and not just me. On paper it looked like a nice match. We are both in the same business essentially. Problem was it turned out I couldn't stand her as my wife and all she was interested in was my credit card." As much as Castle didn't want to talk about Gina in the time that he had before he needed to get some sleep, Kate deserved an answer.

"I'm sorry Castle, I don't mean to bring up bad memories." Kate was suddenly concerned he was mad at her.

"It's ok Kate, you deserve to know. You are nothing like Meredith or Gina. I'm finally interested in someone because I love her. Not because she's pregnant and I felt the need to do the honorable thing or Gina because I wanted Alexis to have a mother. Even though Gina never spent any time with Alexis." Castle knew he had made mistakes, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

"You got married to make Alexis happy?" Kate was touched. Castle was willing to give up his happiness to make Alexis happy. It was sweet and she suddenly loved him just a little more.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. … So what are you doing now?" Castle wanted off this topic.

"Reading. I found a book on your shelf to read. It's actually pretty good so far. … It's called 'Sleep Tight'" Kate tells him.

"Oooooo, I only just bought that one. I haven't read it yet. You'll have to let me know if you liked it when you finish." Castle was suddenly excited.

"Are you using me as your guinea pig Castle?" Kate decides to tease him.

"I, … uhm, …. no I'm not, …. uhm, …. " Castle is flustered suddenly.

"Relax Castle, I'll let you know if I liked the book so you can read it." Kate lets him off the hook. She'd had her fun.

"You're an evil woman Beckett." Castle loved her just a little bit more.

"Are you off tomorrow? Any plans?" Castle needed to change the subject again before he dug his hole any deeper.

"I'm off work tomorrow but I am on call, so if we get a case I have to go in. And yes I have plans. I'm going shopping with Alexis, and then she wants to get our nails done." Kate tells him looking forward to it.

"Sounds like you are going to have fun. How is my mother treating you?" Castle knew his mother can be a handful sometimes.

"Martha has been terrific Castle. She's been very helpful." Martha wasn't her mother but she was nice and she was trying to help her.

"You sure we're talking about the same person?" Castle teases a little knowing what his mother is like.

"Yes Castle we're talking about the same person." Kate liked her and needed for Castle to stop putting her down.

"Ok, ok." Caste has been properly chastised about his mother. "So where are you reading this book?" Castle decided to take the conversation in a whole new direction.

"I'm sitting outside naked waiting for you to return Castle." Kate teases and can hear Castle swallow. "I was sitting on the sofa, where did you think I was?" Honestly Castle you are just too easy sometimes.

"Well I was kinda hoping you were in bed naked and reading." Castle could play too.

"Oooo, so you want me naked do you Castle?" Kate was enjoying this conversation now.

"You have no idea Kate, no idea. …. This is going to be a long week." Castle wanted Kate close not on the other end of the phone.

Actually Kate had a very good idea since she wanted Castle naked and in bed to cuddle up to tonight. And Castle was right. It was going to be a very long week.

"Well I need some sleep if I'm going to make my time tomorrow and don't have Gina hounding me to get going, not that, that would stop her." Castle was going to hate this trip. "Plus I need a cold shower now thanks to you."

"I'm glad I could help Castle." Kate was having fun teasing Castle.

"Ooohh you just wait till I get home Kate, what I'm going to do to you, …." Castle trailed off letting Kate's imagination work for him.

"I look forward to it Castle." Kate coos in a soft sultry voice. "If you're nice I might even let you play with my handcuffs."

Kate wasn't sure what the sound was Castle made but it sounded like she was winning this conversation.

"I'll call you tomorrow Kate, get some sleep, and Kate." Castle was ready to end this conversation he was losing.

"Yea Castle?"

"I love you Kate. Maybe more than you'll ever know." Castle was missing her even more now.

"I love you too Castle." And Kate meant it as the call ended.

Kate decided now was a good time to go to bed and hope they didn't get a body tomorrow. Kate found she really did want to go out with Alexis tomorrow.

Castle needed a shower, a nice cold one, but he had one more phone call to make.

"Hi dad! How is Charlotte?" Alexis knew everywhere her dad was going. She even knew the name of each book store he was going to.

"Same as all the other cities I go to on these tours. All I see are book stores and people lined up wanting my autograph." Castle just wanted to stay home with his family. Especially now that, that family included Kate.

"How is Gina treating you?" Alexis knew how much a pain Gina can be. Dad had married her but the two of them never got along. Plus Gina had never even tried. She just wanted her dad's credit card.

"No more than normal. We're divorced. You'd think she could understand that. …. I hear you and Kate have plans tomorrow." Castle changes the subject. He wanted to forget Gina.

Alexis perked up instantly and Castle could hear it in her voice. "Yea, were going shopping and then get our nails done and maybe even our toes, if I can talk Kate into it." Alexis wasn't so sure Kate would go for the latter, but she would try.

"You have my credit card right?" Castle had given Alexis her own card linked to his account.

"Of course." What was her dad thinking?

"Good I want to make sure you pay for everything pumpkin. Don't let her leave without buying something simply because Kate thinks it costs too much. Be as devious as you have to." Castle wanted Alexis to be spending his money on this trip and not Kate's.

Alexis was grinning. "Sure dad, not a problem." Shopping and trick and surprise Kate. Alexis was looking forward to this trip even more now.

"In fact. … You know that spa over on Central Park South. The one in the Ritz Carlton?" Castle had an idea.

"You mean the La Prairie?" Alexis hoped she pronounced it right.

"Yea, that's the one. Call them in the morning and make an appointment for you two. Do what you want pumpkin, just make sure Kate gets the works." Castle would do it but he didn't think he was going to have the time. Plus he didn't know when they were going shopping.

Alexis was grinning even bigger now. A surprise trip to a spa! Kate was going to love this. "Sure dad I can look it up."

"Great! You two have fun pumpkin. … And Alexis, … I love you." Castle was going to miss her too this week.

"I love you too dad." Alexis was going to miss her dad this week too, but at least she had Kate.

After the call ended, Alexis jumped up in the air and punched the empty space with her fist. "YES!" Tomorrow was going to be sooooo much fun!

Kate had stepped out of the shower when she got a wicked idea. Kate grabbed her phone and let her towel drop and took a picture.

It wasn't quite what she wanted so she tried again. PERFECT! It stopped just short of showing nipple, and she sent it to Castle.

Satisfied with herself she went back into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she came back out there was a text message on her phone.

"Evil woman! Now I need another cold shower." Kate giggled. Teasing Castle long distance was fun.

Kate considered changing into sleep clothes but decided to stay in the buff and slid in under the sheets.

The room looked like Castle, the sheets and pillows smelled like Castle. Now she just wished it was Castle. Castle may have trouble getting to sleep tonight because of her, but she was having trouble too.

"I love you Castle. Please come home."


	4. Chapter 4

**CH4**

Kate woke up in the morning and found her internal alarm clock was a little off. It was already almost 8:00 am and Kate just didn't usually sleep in that late.

Kate also found that she had a strangle hold on one of the pillows. Kate was holding it tight to her body. Plus she had migrated over to Castle's side of the bed. She had probably been trying to seek him out in her sleep.

Kate did feel a bit lonely lying in this big bed all alone, and naked.

Kate got up and turned on the shower and used her cherry scented body wash that had found its way over here from her apartment.

All of Kate's make-up, hand and body lotion along with her own razors to shave her legs with had migrated over here too.

Kate wasn't really sure just how much of her was still at her apartment.

What was in the kitchen and all her books, furniture and paintings or pictures on the wall was just about it. Now that she thought about it.

Castle had never actually asked her to move in with him and yet it seemed she had done so anyway.

Kate's hair was still just a little wet as she opened the bedroom door to head for the kitchen in search of breakfast.

She found Alexis sitting at the counter eating already. Martha was nowhere in sight. "Morning Alexis." Kate calls out as she runs a hand across her shoulder on her way past and into the kitchen.

"Hi Kate." Alexis was glad to see her. Before when dad left on book signing tours she was left alone with grams, this was so much better.

Kate saw what Alexis was eating. "Is there any of that left?" Kate was interested in something light too.

"Yea, it's all cut up and in the refrigerator." Alexis tells Kate as another piece of cantaloupe goes in her mouth.

Kate opens the refrigerator and searches for what she is looking for. The Tupperware bowl of sliced fruit comes out along with the butter. Bread goes in the toaster while the fruit goes in a bowl and the Tupperware goes back in the refrigerator.

With her fruit and toast Kate moves around to Alexis's side and takes a section of the morning paper that Alexis isn't reading and opens it up on the countertop putting her bowl of fruit in the middle of it with her piece of toast hanging out of her mouth.

"Did dad call you last night?" Alexis knew that he did but thought it polite to ask.

"He did actually. He moaned about having to sign his name time after time. Then he moaned about how Gina wouldn't leave him alone." Kate added wondering what Alexis's response to that would be.

Alexis giggles a little. "Yea dad always comes home complaining of writer's cramp and how his hand will never work right again. That he needs to get one of those speech writing programs since he'll never be able to type again." Alexis giggled again. Her dad did it every time and his hand was always as good as new.

"It sounded like he was mad at Gina. She was at the door trying to get him to go somewhere with him." Kate wondered what did Alexis think about that.

"Gina always drives dad nuts. Even when they were married. … It's not that I hate Gina or anything; I just don't see why dad married her in the first place. All she did was make dad mad and spend his money." Gina never paid any attention to her which was fine with Alexis. It meant she didn't have to deal with her.

For Kate that answered what Alexis knew about why Castle had married her? It also gave Kate a clearer picture of Gina. One she didn't like very much.

"We will still on for today?" Alexis asks hoping her work hadn't called her.

"Yup, we are good to go. I'm looking forward to it actually." Kate really did want to spend time with Alexis. "After we are done I can help you with your Monday job with Lanie if you want." Kate really did want to help her.

"Maybe we can share a cab tomorrow since we are both going to the same place." Kate offers.

"That would be nice." Alexis gets up and rinses out her empty bowl and puts it in the dishwasher. "I'm going up to my room to get ready. Leave at 9:00?" Alexis offers.

"I'll be ready." Kate tells her. Watching Alexis hop up the stairs happy for some reason.

Alexis grabbed her phone and looked up the number for the spa and made an appointment for the two of them at 3:00 pm. Hopefully Kate wouldn't be called into work.

Just before 9:00 am Alexis was back downstairs finding Kate sitting at the breakfast bar nursing a bottle of water. "Ready? The car service should be downstairs waiting for us." Alexis tells Kate.

"All set. " Kate stands leaving her bottle of water behind.

As they step out of the building they find a car with a d river waiting. "Where to first?" Kate asks.

_Legacy_

_425 Rogers Ave, Brooklyn, New York, 347-955-5155_

Is what Alexis tells the driver.

When they arrive Kate finds it's a small store. Well maybe not small but it sure was skinny. There was a black wrought iron fence and gate just out front that was taller than either of them. Even though Kate had on heels, as usual. Plus the front door was a lime green color. You couldn't miss the place if you tried.

Sunday morning traffic had been heavy on the way over here and the shop didn't open until 10:00, so they had a little less than 10 minutes to wait.

While they waited Kate was looking at the display window and there was a full length black dress that she was already in love with. If she was this hooked already Kate figured her checkbook was in big trouble.

They were both finally inside and started looking around.

Alexis found something that she thought might look great on Kate so she pulled it down and all but shoved her into the dressing room to change.

There was a mirror inside and Kate got a first look at it before she stepped outside for Alexis to see.

Kate could see Alexis's eyes light up the second she exited. It was almost a duplicate of what Kate had done in the changing room. "That has you written all over it Kate." Alexis loved it.

Kate was grinning as she spun in place. "We'll take it." Alexis tells the sales lady who had opened the store.

Kate had sought out the black dress in the display while Alexis was in the changing room after finding something they both liked on her.

Kate flipped the price tag around so she could read it and instantly jerked her hand away like she had been burned or something. It was beyond expensive. Still Kate just stared at it.

Alexis stepped up next to Kate after coming out. "Go try it on Kate." Alexis nudged.

"Oh no Alexis, it's far too expensive. It would devastate my check book." Kate wasn't going to spend that kind of money.

"You don't have to buy it, just try it on." Alexis takes it down and shoves it into Kate's chest. "Try it on." Alexis tries to glare at Kate.

Kate loved it in the mirror and Alexis loved it when she stepped out. Kate was grinning. It was fun to dream but it was just too expensive.

Kate came back out changed again carrying the dress with the intent of putting it back in place.

"What about those slacks over there. You could wear them into work. They might work with your high heeled boots." Alexis offers a consolation prize.

Kate puts the dress back and goes to look at the slacks.

Alexis with black dress in hand takes everything over to the sales counter and pays for everything. With everything in bags already, Alexis is standing at the door ready to go. "Coming Kate?"

Kate snaps out of the slacks she was looking at, they were kinda nice. Just not what she was looking for.

Kate followed Alexis outside and watched her drop the bags in the trunk.

Owen

_809 Washington St., nr. Gansevoort St.; 212-524-9770_

Alexis tells the driver as they both get in the town car.

This place was nothing like the last place. While this one was just as long and skinny looking. It was all brick. The floors were a dark hardwood. The walls were all exposed brick as was the ceiling of all things.

Kate instantly found a jacket that was almost all zippers. It was black with three zippers up the front and one at each shoulder. The rebel Kate inside her loved it! Right up until she got to the price. $1,795. After trying it on it went right back on the rack.

While Kate was in the changing room trying on something she had found that maybe she could afford, the jacket came off the rack and was bought and paid for and in a bag and out in the trunk of the town car before Kate even got out.

The sales lady had caught on fast and they had pulled this stunt two more times before they left. This place just didn't have anything meant for Alexis, but it had rebel Kate Beckett written all over it.

It did however have something Alexis was buying for her dad. It was an almost perfect match to Kate's jacket she didn't know she had. It had a main zipper up the front and three zippers at angles across the front creating pockets. $1,450 on sale for $850.

"It's for dad." Alexis tells Kate. Making Kate wish she could afford the jacket she had tried on. They would look good together in their matching jackets. Maybe Kate could bring out the rebel in Castle. She just couldn't afford it.

Alexis dropped the bag in the trunk when Kate wasn't looking, since it was getting full and most of the bags were Kate's, she just didn't know it. YET!

It was now 1:30 pm. "Lunch?" Alexis offered.

"Sure, but I'm selecting this time. … And I'm buying. No feedback from the peanut gallery." Kate wags her finger at Alexis.

**Katz's**  
_205 E. Houston St., at Ludlow St.; 212-254-2246_

_Kate tells the driver._

Neither one of them were going to finish a single sandwich if they ordered separately, they were so huge. So they decided on a single sandwich and split it.

They settled on a Katz's Brisket $17.95 (try a little tenderness). Alexis didn't know where the bread was to make it a sandwich, while Kate saw it as a little pile of heaven.

Still it took everything Kate had to finish her half. Alexis had to wrap her half up and take it to the car with her.

Ritz-Carlton

50 Central Park South, second floor, New York, NY. 212-521-6139

"Alexis, what are you up to?" Kate wanted to know why they were going to a hotel. And an expensive hotel at that.

"You'll see. It's a surprise." Alexis tells her and does not wither under the Kate Beckett glare.

Alexis took them up to the second floor and walked into a place called "La Prairie"

"We have a reservation for two, under Rodgers." Alexis tells the lady up front. Getting Kate to lift an eyebrow but remained silent over it.

"Of course, two Total Eclipse. … If you will follow me." And Alexis grabs Kate's hand and drags Kate behind her, afraid Kate would bolt and run on her.

"The changing rooms are in here. Just wrap one of the towels around you and come back out and select a table and someone will be with you shortly." And the lady goes back to her desk up front.

Kate and Alexis are lying side by side and half an hour later Kate is moaning in pure relaxed joy.

"I am soooo going to kill your father when he gets home. Right after I kiss him." Kate moans out with a little rattle in her voice as someone's hands are pounding out the kinks in her back. Getting Alexis to giggle lightly.

Kate is sitting in a chair all nice and comfy and relaxed like she has never been before. She can't see a thing thanks to whatever is on her face. They had told her but it all went in one ear and out the other.

Someone was working on one hand while someone else was working on one of her feet. All the while thinking if her phone rings now because there is a body drop someone else is going to die for interrupting this.

Shoot me now, I'm in heaven! Kate would work out how to thank Castle and Alexis later. After she came back down from heaven.

**Total Escape**

3.5 hours / $555 USD

This little piece of paradise will restore, replenish and rejuvenate. 60 minute Swedish, Deep Tissue or Aromatherapy Massage, 60 minute La Prairie Signature Facial and The Perfect Manicure and Pedicure.

A calm and relaxed Kate Beckett got out of the car at the loft just a little after 7:00 pm. The driver opened the trunk and Alexis started handing out bags for Kate to carry.

"Just how much stuff did you buy for yourself?" It all had to be Alexis's since Kate knew she hadn't spent any of her money.

Alexis gave Kate two more. "Actually those are all yours." Alexis cringed for what was to come.

"WHAT?" Kate was going to kill her.

"Just take them upstairs Kate, they're all yours now." Alexis needed Kate to take them upstairs. Once they were in her closet they became hers.

Kate was glaring at Alexis all the way up in the elevator. Maybe if Kate started at her long enough Alexis would break and explain herself.

Alexis unlocks the door and opens it since her hands were mostly empty and Kate's were full.

"There you two are." Martha was up and waiting for them before ordering dinner to be delivered. "What store did you two buy?" Martha noticed all the bags Kate was carrying.

"This is all Alexis's doing. I didn't spend a dime." Kate drops them on the sofa.

Martha shared a high five with Alexis for her devious hard work. "Well let's see what you've got dear." Martha wanted to see what Kate had.

"It doesn't matter Martha since it's all going back." Kate counters. She would take it all back after she got off work.

"They won't take it back Kate if you don't have the credit card that was used to purchase it, and I'm not giving it to you. So open them up and let's see them." Alexis counters knowing Kate didn't have a choice. "I'll phone in an order for dinner to be delivered." And Alexis pulls out her phone and uses her dad's credit card to pay for the order.

Martha just stood there looking at Kate with a "Well?" look on her face.

Kate knew she had lost this round, but had learned to never go shopping with Alexis again. Kate didn't want anyone to think she was with Castle for his money.

Kate picked up one of the bags from Owen which was the black zipper jacket that had a price tag that was more than she made, net, in two weeks.

Kate loved the jacket and knowing Alexis had bought one similar to it for Castle had her smiling.

"Interesting." Martha commented. It was not to her taste.

The next bag Kate pulled out was from Legacy. Kate pulled out the full length black dress and held it up next to her.

"Oh Katherine, it's gorgeous!" Martha was impressed. "Go try it on dear, I want to see you in it. … Go, go!" Martha waves her arms at Kate to get her moving.

Kate was grinning as she went into the master bedroom to change.

Kate stepped out after changing and twirled for Martha to see all of it.

"Katherine dear, that dress was made for you." Martha loved it and was smiling at her.

Kate was also smiling and feeling giddy wearing the dress. "Richard is going to love you in that dear." Martha was impressed.

Kate was feeling great and was almost ready to start giggling she felt so good. Thinking about how much fun it would be for Castle to take it back off of her. Then her cell phone started ringing.

Kate went in search of her cell phone. "It's Castle." Kate tells Martha.

"Go into the bedroom dear, we'll keep dinner warm for you after you are done." Martha shoos her back into the master bedroom.

With the door closed. "Hi Castle." Kate coos out at him still feeling so happy.

"I take it you have had a good time today." Castle could hear it in her voice.

"It's been great Castle. Shopping with Alexis has been fun." Kate wasn't even mad about her buying all these clothes for her.

"How was your spa trip?" It was Castle's idea after all.

"It was so relaxing! Thank you Castle. …. For everything." Alexis had used his credit card Kate was convinced.

"I'm glad you liked it. You deserve to feel happy." Castle just wanted her happy, no matter what it took.

"Thanks Castle. …. I love you." Kate's tears started. She loved Castle and she was in deep.

"I love you too Kate. … Any plans for tonight?" Castle had a plan if she didn't.

"Not really, I think I have to give a fashion show for Martha with what we brought home." Kate giggles. _And when did I start giggling?_

"Good, when you are ready for bed and IN bed text me and I'll call you." Castle tells her, since he has a plan.

"You want me naked and in bed Castle?" Kate goes back to teasing.

"So bad you wouldn't believe. But it's your choice. … Now go give my mother your fashion show and text me when you are ready. …. till later Kate." Castle tells her.

"Bye Castle." Kate ends the call wondering what he has planned. Kinda hoping it was phone sex.

Kate took her phone with her back out to the living room where she found Alexis and Martha waiting for her with dinner ready already.

Kate handed over her phone to Alexis. "Take my picture?" Kate asks of her, and stands back and strikes a pose.

Alexis takes a picture and hands the phone back to Kate. Kate takes the picture and sends it to Castle.

Kate was just starting to eat after changing out of the dress when her phone buzzed.

Kate picked it up and read the text from Castle. "WOW! … Wolf whistle." Getting Kate to laugh. Still wondering what Castle was up to.

Like the night before Martha was the first to leave the younger people to themselves and went to her room.

Alexis was next indicating that she just wanted to read her book and verify when Kate wanted to leave for work in the morning so they could share a cab.

Kate decided to sit on the sofa and read her book from the night before.

It was a couple of hours later when she decided to go to bed. Kate had changed into her sleep clothes and sent Castle a text telling him she was in bed waiting for him.

A moment later her phone rang and gave her a screen that she had to accept. Not understanding but she pressed the OK button. "CASTLE!" Kate could see him. Kate's smile was huge and it was melting Castle.

"Can your charger cord reach?" Castle asked. "I want to go to sleep hearing and seeing you." Castle told her.

Kate squealed like a teenager who was in love and scrambled for her charger.

It was an hour later when Kate went to sleep listening to and seeing Castle happier than she had been for some time. Barely getting out an "I love you", before she was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**CH5**

Kate was up, showered and dressed when she emerged from the master bedroom to find Alexis already dressed and ready to go sitting at the breakfast counter.

"Hi Alexis." Kate passed her hand down her arm as she went around and into the kitchen.

"Hi Kate. Did dad call last night?" Alexis was wondering.

Kate suddenly felt guilty. "Oh I'm so sorry Alexis. Yes he did and I used up his entire call last night. I'm so sorry." Why didn't Kate remember to let him talk to his daughter? She had screwed up so big.

"It's ok, he called me this morning before he left for Miami, which is his next stop." Alexis explains not mad. Alexis was glad her dad had called and spent the night with Kate. Alexis was used to having her dad go on these tours, Kate was not.

"Oh thank god." Kate covered her heart with her hand. "I'll try and not let that happen again. He's your father you should get to talk to him." Kate pulled the fruit out of the refrigerator and made toast.

Kate skipped reading the paper. "You excited for your first day?"

"Actually yes." Alexis was very excited. She also wanted to prove herself to Dr. Parrish and that she could do this.

They shared a cab ride into the 12th and Kate escorted Alexis down to the morgue to check in with Lanie.

"KATE!" Lanie had spotted them first. "And you brought Alexis. Ready for your fist day sweetie?" Lanie was hoping this was going to be fun. Besides she could pump Alexis on information about Kate and writer-boy.

"The office is right over there. I've got my fair share of paperwork for you to read and sign before I can let you out in the field." Lanie hated red tape as much as the next person.

Lanie watched Alexis walk to her little office and then turned on Kate. "So how is it without Castle around?" Lanie wanted answers.

"It sucks Lanie! I just wish he would come home." Kate's walls were down and even Lanie was getting easier access.

"Home? As in home being the loft with you? Or home as being back in New York?" Lanie wanted clarification. And not just for her. Lanie wanted Kate to admit it to herself.

Kate deflates knowing Pit Bull Lanie wasn't going to let it go. "Both actually."

"So, do we round up the boys and get everything else moved from your apartment to the loft tonight. There can't be that much left to move." Lanie had seen how empty her apartment already was.

"Oh I don't know Lanie. Castle isn't even here. What if he doesn't even want me to move in? And it would be better to wait until he is back and actually asks me." Kate wasn't sure about this sudden plan of Llanie's.

"ALEXIS!" Lanie yells out.

Alexis was standing next to Dr. Parrish with a 'Yes?' on her face.

"You want to help Kate move out of her apartment tonight and into the loft?" Lanie asks point blank not waiting for Kate to say anything first.

"YOU'RE MOVING IN!?" Alexis all but yells and launches herself at Kate and hugs her.

"I guess that settles that. I'll have the boys and I with a truck meet you at your apartment at 6:00 pm and help you move. Shouldn't take that long." Lanie has made the decision for Kate.

Alexis has let go of Kate and stepped back. "You want to help us?" Lanie looks at Alexis.

"YES! … Can I go with you?" Alexis looks at Lanie as she asks.

"We'll go right after we both get off tonight. Javi can pick up the truck. … Gimme your key." Lanie holds out her hand to Kate. If Lanie had the key Kate couldn't back out later.

Kate delayed but after Lanie stuck her hand out a little further with a little more force, Kate handed over her key.

Kate was busy trying to figure out if Lanie was her best friend or her worst enemy. "We'll make all the arrangements and meet you there. Won't we Alexis?" Lanie asks looking at Alexis.

Alexis is nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Actually you don't even need to be there at all. I have your key and I have Alexis who has her key to get all your stuff into the loft. …. Right?" Lanie looks at Alexis again who just smiles back.

"Now shoo Kate. Alexis and I have paperwork and some planning to do." As Lanie pushes Kate out of the morgue.

Lanie and Alexis high five. "Come on sweetie, we have work to do." They are both smiling as they head for Lanie's little office.

Kate made it to her desk in a mostly empty bullpen and sat down and just sat there. Tornado Lanie had just done a number on her and it felt like a house had just landed on her. Or to be more accurate, a loft.

Then Kate started smiling. She was moving into the loft with Castle and Alexis was happy which meant she wanted her there. Kate could just hope that Castle wanted her there too. Now should she tell him tonight or surprise him when he got home?

This wasn't like some surprise Christmas or Valentine's day present. She was moving in with her boyfriend.

Kate ran her hands thru her hair. Oh god, she was moving in with her boyfriend. And his daughter and his mother.

HIS MOTHER!? What was Martha going to think? Kate leaned over until her forehead came in contact with the top of her desk. Kate was now in so deep she couldn't even see light at the top of the hole.

"You alright there Beckett?" Captain Montgomery asks as he walks by headed for his office.

Kate jerks up having been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Sir! …. Yes sir, just fine sir."

Kate turns on her computer. If Montgomery finds out she's living with and dating Castle against regulations he'll fire her. Or throw Castle out of the precinct. Both of those options were just not acceptable.

Kate still had to find her mother's killer and she wanted Castle there standing next to her when she did.

Maybe if she told him instead of letting him find out on his own, he would go easier on them.

Kate had made up her mind and got up and started walking for Captain Montgomery's office, and made a hard right turn and headed for the coffee machine instead.

Everything goes better with coffee! … Right?

Kate was just done using Castle's fancy coffee machine, that she was sure hated her, and was lifting up her cup. "Hey Beckett." Espo call out as he walks in. Getting Kate to jump and spill her coffee into the overflow drain.

"You're apartment at 6:00 pm. Finally moving in with Castle are we?" Espo just couldn't keep it to himself.

"ESPO! … Will you keep your voice down? Montgomery finds out and he'll have me fired." Kate chastises him, softly.

"He's going to find out anyway Beckett. He's a detective. Plus you are going to have to put in an address change with PP1." Espo points out.

Kate groans. Oh god! She hadn't even thought about that. Even if Montgomery didn't fire her, those egg heads in PP1 would. Oh how did she get into this mess anyway?

Might as well pay the piper. She can look for a new job before Castle gets home.

Hi Castle, I'm glad you're home. By the way I got fired because I'm dating you and I start my new job cleaning downtown streets with a broom on Monday. Yea, that'll go over big.

Kate dumped what was left of her coffee down the drain and headed for Captain Montgomery's office.

Knocking first. "Have you got a minute sir?" Since it's only going to take you 2 seconds to say your fired.

"Sure have a seat Beckett." Roy sits there and waits. "Sometime today Beckett?" Roy tries to push this along.

"Yes sir. … "I've been dating Castle for a number of weeks now and Lanie and the boys are helping me move into his loft tonight. While he is out of town." Kate decides to just spit it out, while telling him as fast as she can. Maybe he'll miss parts of it and not fire her.

Roy decides to let Kate sweat for a bit and just stares at her. It seemed to be working considering the looks on her face that kept changing, and the fact that she was fidgeting in the chair.

"Congratulations Beckett." Roy finally gives in.

"Sir?" Kate didn't understand. Why isn't she fired?

"I didn't think you were ever going to pull your head out of your ass. Castle is a good man, you could have done a lot worse.

As for your two working together, well, Castle technically doesn't work here. He doesn't get paid and has no medical coverage while he is here. Plus he signed all his waivers, so technically he isn't here at all. And so long as I'm happy, PP1 will be happy.

And I expect an invitation to the wedding." Roy points out.

"Wedding, sir?" Kate looked just like a deer caught in headlights from Roy's point of view.

"I'm just messing with you Beckett. Now get out of my office and get back to work." Roy tells her and picks up his pen again.

"Uhm, yes sir. Thank you sir." A dazed Kate gets up and starts to leave.

"Oh and Beckett." Kate stops to look back. "I expect that wedding invitation or you really will be fired." Roy grins and gets back to work without ever actually looking up at her.

Kate has made it back to her desk on auto pilot and sits down. 'What just happened?'

"Beckett?" Espo call her name. Getting nothing, he tries again. "Beckett?" Then he decides to throw a wadded up piece of paper and her and ends up hitting Kate in the head.

Kate snaps out of it glares at Espo. "We got a body drop, you in?" Espo and Ryan are starring at her.

"Yea, sure." Kate pulls her gun out of her drawer and clips on her badge and handcuffs, then stands and follows the guys to their new case.

Kate looked at her dad's watch on the way. ONE HOUR!? She had been staring out into space for a whole hour? This was all Castle's fault. That man wasn't even here, but somehow she knew it was all his fault.

Kate arrived at the scene and stepped up to Lanie who had Alexis standing next to her with a note book pad in hand. Alexis's hair was in a ponytail and she looked all trim and proper. A sharp contrast to what Kate usually saw.

"Lanie, Alexis, what have we got?" Kate could see a male vic on a wrought iron fence where he had landed directly on it with his back. The points on top were sticking up out of his chest and there was a fair amount of blood on the ground.

"ID has him as one Frank Mudd, 32, he lives in the nicer part of Manhattan. Cause of death looks to be rather obvious and given the amount of blood our guy died here." Lanie tells Kate.

"Witnesses?" Kate asks.

"Just the one." Espo answers and points out the lady across the street. "She was out walking her, dog, when she heard something hard hit the fence she just passed and turned and saw our vic." Espo wasn't sure the 2 pound ball of hair she had could actually be called a dog.

"Apparently she screamed and got the attention of some neighbors who called it in, anonymously." Ryan adds. Which sounded typical for New York.

"Ok Ryan, take some uniforms and see if you can find our anonymous caller or anyone else who saw or heard anything. Castle and I, …" Kate caught herself. "I'll talk to our witness in a minute."

"You alright Kate?" Lanie sounded concerned.

"I'm fine. I'll just be glad when Castle is back." Kate was so used to having him around.

"What I don't see is how he got here?" Alexis speaks up. "I mean there are not any buildings close enough to jump from." Alexis adds.

"Oooo, I know. He's a lycanthrope and he flew out here but when the sun came up his wings melted and he fell to his death." Alexis liked it, just not that much.

"Or better still, he's like that Will Smith character in Hancock. He was jumping from place to place and got too close to that lady who is like Kryptonite to him and he crashed on the fence because he suddenly lost his power." Alexis liked that one even better.

Alexis went over to the body and went back to working on her sketch of the scene and taking measurements. "You might want to take pictures of everyone around here. If she is the cause that means she's still here or he would have gotten up and jumped away by now." Alexis adds.

"Castle has contaminated that girl Kate." Lanie was grinning.

Kate was also grinning and ready to burst out laughing. It so sounded like one of Castle's insane theories. It was almost like he was here.

If Alexis was going to do this every time Kate could learn to like having her at crime scenes. "You sure this isn't too, ….." Kate trailed off.

"Gory?" Lanie finishes. "Look at her Kate, she doesn't even see it. She's a natural at this. I don't suppose we can keep her?" Lanie was enjoying having someone with her. Even if it was a Castle.

"She's not a stuffed animal or some windup toy Lanie." Kate had to bring Lanie down out of the clouds.

"I know." Lanie moans. Lanie just wanted Alexis to stay a little longer than the few short weeks she was signed up for. "I don't suppose we could hire her?" Lanie tries another tactic.

"I'll ask Captain Montgomery. Maybe he knows something. …. Time of death?" kate changes subjects.

"I'd say somewhere between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am last night. Maybe your witness can narrow that down for you." Lanie was done and went to join Alexis. Maybe she could quiz her about staying longer that just her few weeks. Like say permanently?

Kate had a short conversation with their witness. She didn't see or hear anything until the body hit the fence. Seems little Tigger wasn't taking the dead body very well. She was going to have to take her to a dog psychologist to help her with the shock.

Kate got to meet all kinds of people on this job. This lady was way out there somewhere in left field. Which reminded her, ask her dad if he wanted to attend a baseball game when she was off work, which was the same day Castle was due back in town late in the day.

Kate was at her murder board setting it up with what she knew when Ryan and Espo came back.

"Neighbors hear or see anything?" Kate asked Ryan.

"Nothing unusual, just the normal late night helicopters giving people midnight tours. Guess they do this nightly and it has a number of people pissed. Invasion of privacy, they actually have to close their blinds so the people can't see in." Ryan explains.

"Oh heaven forbid." Kate rolls her eyes. …. "Wait midnight tours between high-rises that are not close enough to jump from." Kate has an idea but needs something.

"I'll be down in the morgue if anyone wants me." Kate takes the elevator down.

"Hi Lanie, Alexis. This our guy here?" Kate sees a well-dressed guy on Lanie's table.

"Yea, we only just got him here. I haven't had time to do anything with him yet. You're early." Lanie tells her.

"I came to see his ID and see if it says he's married and I want to look at his clothes." Kate tells her.

"I'll get the wallet." Alexis offers and comes back with it in a baggie.

Kate looks it over. "Yup says he's married. Wonder where his wife is?" Kate is curious. Then changes to his clothes.

Kate finally finds a designer label. "Dormeuil Vanquish II." Kate talks to herself.

"Dad has one of those. It was expensive! Just over $100,000." Alexis tells her. "He had a book signing that was for invited guests only. I think it was the only time he ever wore it. It's in a sealed bag in his closet. It cost so much dad didn't even want the sun to fade it." Alexis adds.

"Really?" Kate was intrigued now. Note to self, search Castle's closet for this suit. Purely for research of course.

Kate now had a clue, just not what to do with it. "Thanks you two, let me know what you find." Kate heads back upstairs.

"Tell me our vic is married." Kate asks as soon as she finds Espo.

"He is actually. Give you one guess when his anniversary was." Espo offers.

"No way! …. Find her and get her in here." Kate had a few questions for her.

"I've already got uniforms going to their apartment." Espo tells her.

"Great, now look up who did midnight tours last night and if our vic and his wife were their clients." Kate asks. Their vic didn't jump out of a building so maybe he jumped out of a helicopter tour. Or maybe he had some help.

It was a little later. "The uniforms didn't find anyone home." Espo tells Kate.

"Get down there and see if they have and security cameras. Find out if she came home last night and when she left if she did." Kate tells him.

"Ryan run their financials and get their phone records. And get her name out to all the airlines, train and bus terminals." If she was on the run she already had a big head start.

$100,000 suit? "And get her name out to the private jet services too. If they're that rich maybe she wouldn't use a commercial airline." Kate adds.

Kate stares at the board. If she was on the run, where would she go? But she's used to being privileged. So she would need to go with lots of money. Leaving out commercial airlines since that kind of money wouldn't make it past security.

Kate was afraid she was losing time.

"Got it!" Ryan calls out finally.

"They spent money on dinner with a $6,523 bill. …. Did they feed half of Manhattan for that price?" Ryan couldn't imagine anyone spending that much for dinner. "There is also a bill for a car service. One for last night and one this morning." Ryan tells her.

Kate calls them to find out where they took them and who went. Including the one this morning.

"She's at the airport at the private jet terminal. Get some uniforms down there and pick her up." Kate tells him.

After Ryan is off the phone. "Their financials also tell us what helicopter tour service they used last night." Ryan tells Kate.

Kate's phone rang. "Beckett." It was Espo filling her in on when they left. When she came back alone last night and when she left again this morning. Alone this time.

Kate had him go to the car service office next. An officer with a warrant would meet him there. Kate wanted to talk to the drivers. Last nights and the one this morning.

It was late and the boys were gone to her apartment to move her into the loft, totally.

Kate's desk phone rang. "Beckett. …. Bring him up." Kate first piece of the puzzle was here.

The helicopter pilot had finally called and had brought his lawyer with him.

The couple had gone out for a midnight tour. Everything was going fine, when there was a fight. He didn't know when the guy's seat belt came undone. From his point of view she pushed and his arm managed to open the door and she pushed again and he went out the door.

When he landed she paid him $300,000 to keep his mouth shut. He had immediately called his lawyer and that's when together they contracted the police and ended up here with Kate.

The car service drivers were next, well one of them anyway. He confirmed that two of them went to the helicopter while only she came back and he took her home and then left.

Kate was sitting at her desk waiting for the wife to be brought in from the airport and her private jet she was about to leave on with $600,000 in cash on her. When her cell phone rang.

"Hi Castle." Kate was so glad to hear from him. "How is Miami?"

"I know there is a beach around here somewhere, but all I've seen so far is two book stores." Castle was back to moaning.

"I better not find a picture of you on page 6 with a bikini clad blonde hanging on your arm." Kate warns him since Miami is probably filled with them.

"Getting possessive are we Kate?" Castle was having a little fun. It was nice to know Kate wanted him.

"You're damn right. Your mine Castle and don't forget it. …. Speaking of which is Gina leaving you alone?" Did Kate have to do something to her?

"So far she has behaved herself mostly. She has gotten a bit snarky lately and suggestive of some of the women who want autographs. It would be nice if she would stop but I can handle it." Castle would like to lose Gina. Problem was she was good at her job.

"Where are you and what are you doing now?" Castle asks her.

"I'm at work waiting for the wife who shoved her husband out of a helicopter on their anniversary." Kate tells him.

"So, married him and killed him on the same day. Nice! … Or not." Rick was going to have to remember that one for one of his books maybe. "Please tell me you are going home soon." Castle didn't want her to spend the night there.

"Just as soon as she gets here and I book her I'll go home and get some sleep. I promise." Kate tells him. Since that was her plan unless something changed it. Kate was going to leave the paperwork for tomorrow.

"Have you eaten yet?" Castle asks another question.

Kate cringes. She hadn't eaten lunch or dinner today. Castle was going to kill her.

"That's what I thought." Castle takes her silence as an answer.

"I'm sorry Castle. It's just that I've been busy." Kate got lost in her case again and she knew it.

Then the elevator dinged and two uniforms were escorting the wife to the interrogation room.

"I have to go Castle, the wife is here." Kate tells him and starts gathering up the papers she would need.

"Show her who is in charge Kate. … I love you." Castle tells her meaning every word of it.

Kate melts a little. "Bye Castle, … I love you too." And the call ends.

Thirty minutes later Kate had broken her and gotten a confession and was happy with herself.

It was 11:20 pm and it was time to go home. They boys were probably done moving her into the loft by now, so the loft really was home now, and she liked the idea of it.

Kate dropped her notes off at her desk and found something waiting for her. Opening it she found it was Chinese food and it was still warm. "CASTLE!" Kate knew it was him. He had phoned it in from Miami for her.

God she loved that man!


	6. Chapter 6

**CH6**

Kate came home to a dark loft with not a light to be seen. Kate had sat at her desk and eaten her Chinese food Castle had ordered for her, so she didn't need to go to the kitchen to look for any leftovers.

It was now that Kate ran her hand down her face and cringed. She had been so caught up in finishing the case before the wife made good on her escape that she didn't give a thought to anything else.

What had Alexis and Martha eaten while she was occupied? "I didn't even call to tell them I'd be late." Kate slumps her shoulders. In her mind she had screwed up. They had done everything they could to make her feel like family, and what had she done? Nothing!

Kate shuffles her feet to the bedroom when she came across a large number of boxes. Kate stopped to open one. It was filled with books from her apartment. Where was her furniture? And her bed?

Not that she needed any of that. What Castle had was far superior to what she was using. Looking around she found her pictures and paintings leaning up against a wall. Then another light comes on and Kate spins in place to see Alexis come down the stairs.

Kate meets her part way and wraps her arms around her. "I'm so sorry Alexis, I should have called." Kate was feeling guilty.

"Did you find out who killed him?" Is Alexis's only words.

"He and his wife had a fight during their helicopter tour. She managed to push him out of the helicopter. It was a freak series of events that had to happen. After it was over she panicked and tried to make a run for it out of the country with $600,000 in cash. …. It was their anniversary." Kate explains never letting go of Alexis.

"I'm glad you figured it out. …. Dad called to tell us you would be late since you were wrapped up in another case again." Alexis tells Kate hoping it would make her feel better.

"I'm so sorry Alexis. Next time I'll call. You shouldn't be waiting here wondering where I am." Kate was never going to do that again. EVER!

"It's ok, dad told us you get lost in a case trying to figure it out." Alexis was willing to let Kate off the hook. She was just glad Kate was home.

"No it's not ok Alexis. I should know better. And I try and learn from my mistakes." Kate squeezes Alexis a little tighter. Castle was gone but she was here, she should be looking after Alexis in his place and she was screwing up.

Alexis however was trying to melt into Kate's hug. Her father loved her and Alexis was learning to like Kate a lot. She was just beginning to understand what her father sees in her.

"Dad mentioned that you were dating some doctor. When did you finally decide dad was the right one?" Alexis wanted some clarification.

"It was the trip he followed me out to L.A. on that got me to see the light. That and a little help from a friend.

I know how this sounds Alexis but i was using Josh as a shield to try and keep Castle distant. I think i was already in love with your father even then. And being in love scared the crap out of me, and Castle was my best friend. I didn't want to lose him by falling in love with him, and you can't date co-workers. I could have gotten fired." Kate explains a little. "So i broke it off with Josh the day after we got back. I felt bad about doing it over the phone while in Castle's house, but i didn't want to wait. Josh probably deserved better, but i had already made up my mind by then, and Castle was in the next room, and you and Martha were upstairs. ..." Kate trails off.

"Well I'm glad you and dad are finally together, no matter how you got there." Alexis hugs Kate to prove it.

"Me to." Kate hugs her back.

"What did you do with the furniture?" Kate asks letting go of Alexis.

"We didn't know what pieces you wanted in here so it's all down in the storage space in the garage. Ryan and Espo volunteered to move any of it up here if you wanted." Alexis explains.

"I'll think about it. …. You should get some sleep honey, we have to get up early and go back in, in the morning. Be up and ready by 7:00 am." And Kate hugs Alexis again. And watches Alexis go back upstairs.

Kate goes into the bedroom and strips down and goes into the bathroom to clean up a little for bed.

Kate crawls into the big bed on her side, noticing only too well that Castle isn't on his side. Kate twists so her back is to his side. Hoping that not seeing him gone would make it easier. But it wasn't. Her mind told her that Castle would have moved over and spooned himself in behind her with his arm draped over her holding her close.

Kate finally made it to sleep and let her tears dry out on her cheek.

Kate was up, showered and dressed and headed for the kitchen for breakfast finding Alexis already sitting there eating.

"Hi Kate." Alexis calls out and takes a drink of her orange juice.

Kate was amazed and had a new amount of respect for her. "Hi Alexis." Kate leans in and kisses her head.

Alexis takes it smiling and lifts up her bagel. "Want one?"

"Sounds like a plan." Kate finds one and toasts it and spreads cream cheese on it and pours out her own small glass of orange juice.

Alexis nibbles on hers while Kate all but swallow hers whole. "Ready to go?" Kate asks chugging the last of her orange juice.

Alexis nods her head and drinks the last of her orange juice and places the glass in the sink and takes what's left of her bagel with her.

Kate has made it to her desk and is working on her paperwork from the day before.

"Nice work yesterday Beckett." Captain Montgomery calls out as he passes her by on his way to his office.

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Kate was doing her job but it felt good to be recognized for doing it well.

Kate's cell phone rang. "Hi Castle." Kate coos into the phone seeing his name on the caller ID.

"Our flight to New Orleans is delayed. Some kind of mechanical problem. It's probably just a broken light bulb." Castle explains his call.

"It's good to hear you Castle. How goes the tour?" Kate was hoping it was worth it.

"I might actually get to see something in New Orleans since we only have one book store to go to. It'll be a nice change." Castle really was looking forward to New Orleans. The food there was supposed to be really good.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to fly out for the day? I'll buy you a ticket." Castle was dying to see Kate.

"As tempting as that is Castle I have work. I have paperwork to do from the case we closed yesterday." It really was tempting and Captain Montgomery just might let her go, but it was her job to stay here.

"I was afraid you'd say that. …. No Gina I don't want anything!" Castle suddenly yells. "Yes I'm on the phone. Did you think I was talking to myself?" Castle sounded mad.

Kate again couldn't hear Gina's voice, she was probably too far away.

"Who I'm talking to is not any of your concern." Castle could have told her it was Alexis but it was really Kate on the phone and he sucked at lying.

"I'll be so glad when this tour is over and I can get her off my case. You'd think she was still my wife or something. I swear she hasn't changed." Castle was ready to shove her out of the plane on the way to New Orleans.

"Try not to let her get to you Castle. …. You still have my picture?" Kate changes the subject.

"As close to my heart as I can get it." Castle answers her question. "You planning on sending me any more just like it?" Castle teases convinced it was the only one she was ever going to send.

"Maybe." Kate twirls her hair. Kate hadn't really planned on it but suddenly had a plan to do just that.

"DAMN IT GINA, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Castle had reached his breaking point. He just wanted to talk to Kate in peace, however Gina seemed to have other plans.

"I'm going to go Kate. Maybe my lawyer can find a hidden clause somewhere and get me out of this. I don't suppose you have any contacts in New Orleans in case they get a call about a dead blonde on a plane that just landed. … I'm at least going to change seats. Even if I have to sit in the tail section to get away from her." Castle had, had enough.

"Try not to get yourself into trouble Castle. Ending up in jail isn't going to solve anything." Kate wanted him back too.

"Oh I'm not going to kill her. Getting away with murder takes lots and lots of planning. Spur of the moment just gets the killer caught. … How's Alexis doing?" Castle changes the subject before he ends the call and calls his lawyer.

"She's great Castle. I'm really proud of her. She's growing up into a lovely young woman. You should be proud." Kate knew Castle was behind it, somehow. She didn't understand how, but just knew he was somehow.

"Oh don't say that. Too soon she'll be all grown up and moved out of the loft and living with some 300 pound biker covered in tattoos." Castle moans. Castle wanted his little Alexis that relied on him for everything back.

Kate couldn't help but laugh. "Alexis is far too responsible to ever do that." Kate however and her wild child phase had however done just that. Except for the 300 pound part. Not a memory she liked to recall. It was a stupid phase and Kate was glad she was past it.

"Say hi to Alexis for me and go get the bad guy. …. I love you Kate." Castle whispers into the phone since he could see Gina headed his way again.

"Bye Castle. I love you too." Kate ends the call. Then grabs her bag. It just so happens she did know someone who was in New Orleans.

Thirty minutes later Kate was off her phone again just as Espo and Ryan got in and sat at their desks, waiting for Kate to get off her phone.

Gina was going to get a surprise when her plane landed. Gina was getting arrested on a tip from the TSA about her matching the description of someone who had made a disturbance on a plane. A federal offense even. Talking about a bomb being on a plane and wondering how many people would die in the attack.

They couldn't hold her for long, but it would get Gina out of Castle's hair for the day. At least until his plane for the next city.

Kate was suddenly in a good mood and decided to go downstairs to visit with Lanie and Alexis for a couple of minutes. If they didn't catch a case maybe the two of them would be interested in a girls night out having dinner somewhere. Kate was even willing to buy. Plus Alexis knew where Castle was going next and Kate didn't.

"Hi Lanie, Alexis." Kate greets them still happy.

"Hey Kate, what gets you down here? And why are you so happy? Is writer-boy back already?" Lanie started digging straight away.

"No he's at the airport, something about a mechanical problem with his plane." Kate tells her.

"I came down to borrow Alexis for a minute." Kate had some questions.

"Sure, what's up Kate?" Alexis was standing close by.

Kate took Alexis's hand and gets some distance between them and Lanie. "Do you know where Castle is going after New Orleans?"

"Yup, he's going to Dallas next and then Chicago. Why?" Alexis was curious.

"Do you know where in Dallas he is staying?" Kate had a surprise in mind.

"Yup, hang on." Alexis goes and retrieves her bag and comes back to Kate. Searching through it she finds what she is looking for. "Here, this is the hotel and the room type. Some of them already have room numbers." Alexis handed over his entire itinerary including the location of all the book stores he was going to.

Kate takes a look at it and finds Dallas is next and where. "Thanks Alexis, just what I needed. You're terrific." Kate kisses the top of her head and turns to leave. "OH, if we don't get a case you two want to go out to dinner? I'll buy." Kate offers.

"If you're buying I'm in." Didn't take much to convince Lanie. Besides a Kate Beckett with a little alcohol in her was usually a talkative Kate Beckett with almost no filter. Perfect for Lanie to get answers out of her.

Kate looks at Alexis. "Sure, that would be nice." Alexis was looking forward to spending time with Kate. Maybe she could get some stories about Kate out of Lanie if these two started drinking.

"Great, say 6:00 pm?" Kate offers, and heads back upstairs. Kate had some phone calls to make.

This was going to cost her a little but she was in love and Castle deserved it. He had done so much for her, it was time for a little payback.

Castle was going to be in the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, in a Gold Suite. 750 sq. ft., one king bed, located on the 17th to 19th floors with a view of the city skyline.

It also told her that Gina was staying in an identical Gold Suite on the same floor right next door with an adjoining door.

Kate had Castle's room changed to the 19th floor while Gina was assigned a room on the 17th floor. Castle was hers and she didn't like what Gina was doing on this tour. It was time Gina learned her place.

Then she called a place to have Castle's room decorated with the permission of the hotel. There would be an I LOVE YOU banner, I LOVE YOU balloons, an edible fruit display and lots of flowers. Plus a card from Kate telling Castle how much she loves him.

Maybe she can't be there but Castle isn't going to forget about her. Then Kate got back to her paperwork from the case the day before.

Kate was done with her paperwork and she had skipped lunch as usual. Castle wasn't there to remind her so she went back into her normal pattern. However since she was done and they didn't get a body drop Kate went downstairs to spend it with Lanie and Alexis while she waited for 6:00 pm to head for the restaurant and dinner.

Since it was Kate's idea and she was buying Kate got to choose the restaurant.

Babbo

110 Waverly Pl.; 212-777-0303

It looked like a hole in the wall, however the front face was a sharp contrast to the buildings next to them. Compared to the area it looked like a nice place.

It was just as nice on the inside. Dark wood floors, low soft light, white cloth table tops and there was a large center piece in the middle of the dining space. Alexis was too young for the bar area, so they skipped that area.

Kate had called ahead and had used Castle's name and they were given a table for 4 in a nice location, in the back away from the hustle and bustle of everyone.

**"****Grigliata Mista" **Lamb Chop, Sweetbreads & Beef Tongue with Cipolline and Aceto $27

**Lamb Belly "alla Piastra" **Roasted Spring Radishes and Sorrel Pesto $23

**Sea Scallops **with "Fagioli in Umido" and Brown Butter $24

Alexis had excused herself to use the restroom leaving Kate and Lanie alone for a few minutes.

"Ok Kate, start talking. How are you doing with Castle gone?" Lanie wanted info and she wanted the truth.

Kate knew Lanie wasn't going to let go. "It's hard Lanie. He's not sitting in his chair. It looks so empty without him in it. And he's not there helping to solve cases." Kate answers Lanie's question.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Lanie gives her another chance.

Kate lowers her head. "I want him home Lanie. I've never missed any man this much. It's like another piece of me is missing." Kate was hurting now that Lanie had brought it up for her to confront.

"AND?" Lanie pushes a little more.

"And the giant bed is empty. It looks like him, smells like him, but he's not in it. Great big loft with just me, Alexis and Castle's mother in it. Except for Alexis I've never felt so alone." Kate can't help it, she misses Castle.

"Girl you've got it bad. …. Where is writer-boy now?" Lanie had an idea.

"New Orleans today, Dallas tomorrow, then Chicago the day after." Kate explains.

"And then home?" Lanie asks.

Kate shakes her head. "Then Pittsburgh and then home."

"Too late for Dallas probably. Fly out to Chicago and surprise him." Lanie offers.

"I have work Lanie, I can't just up and fly somewhere. Especially if we get a case." Kate couldn't do it. Even though she had thought about it.

"So, take a day of vacation. Put it in tomorrow and fly out to Chicago the next day and maybe a red eye to get back. Castle will love it, and so will you." Lanie pushes, this was a good idea. She just needed to get Kate to agree to it.

Kate remained silent. "Or do you want to spend the rest of his book tour in misery? Cause trust me girl, you sound like you are miserable. So get your skinny butt out to Chicago and spend some time with your man. You'll come back a new woman all set to run down the next douche-bag trying to get away." Lanie has done the best she can without actually flying Kate out there herself.

Then Alexis came back and the conversation was over.

After they are done eating their dirty plates are removed and they are left alone to eat and talk.

Kate eventually asked for the check only to be told it was already paid for. They could go when they chose to. Did they want something to drink?

"No thanks." Kate tells her and watches her walk away. Kate turns on Alexis. "ALEXIS!?" Kate was going to pay.

Alexis kept her mouth shut and just shrugged her shoulders.

"Now you have money to buy that airline ticket to Chicago." Lanie points out.

"You're going to Chicago? … Dad is going to be there in a couple of days." Alexis notices the coincidence.

"That's why I'm trying to get Kate to go there." Lanie tells Alexis.

"Lanie!" Kate was going to shoot her.

"You're going to go see dad?" Alexis sounded excited and pulled out her cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Kate asks looking at Alexis.

"I'm booking you a plane ticket to get you to Chicago so you can see dad." Alexis thought it was obvious.

Kate makes a play for Alexis's phone but Alexis saw it coming and turned away and then stood up to be out of Kate's reach.

"There, one first class ticket to Chicago. I presume you want to come back the same day so I got you a red eye flight back." Alexis stood there, proud of herself.

Kate just sat there with her mouth hanging open. Alexis was grinning wide and Lanie was softly laughing. Lanie was going to buy Alexis lunch for this.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Kate was going and she knew it. She just wanted it to be on her terms.

Then Alexis started using her phone again. "You better not be calling your father." Kate warns her.

Alexis shakes her head and the puts the phone to her ear. "Hi Captain Montgomery? This is Alexis Castle. Detective Beckett is going to attend a very special event the day after tomorrow and she needs a day of vacation to do it. So I'm asking if she can have the day off to go." Alexis remembers Kate mentioning she could get fired for dating her dad, so changes the flight to a special event. Which isn't strictly a lie, since going to see her dad was very special.

Kate starts to get up so she can grab Alexis's phone but she fumbles the attempt and Alexis starts walking away to get away from Kate so she can't stop her.

"Thanks Captain Montgomery, I'll tell her." And Alexis ends the call and spins around to face Kate smiling like she had just gotten away with opening her Christmas present early and then re-wrapping it so no one would know.

"Alexis Harper Castle!" Kate glares at her with an "I am so going to kill you" look on her face and turns her head when Lanie starts laughing out loud.


	7. Chapter 7

**CH7**

Alexis and Kate shared a cab ride home after saying bye to Lanie who took her own cab ride home.

"Are you still mad Kate?" Alexis was only trying to help and she knew if she left it to Kate she wouldn't go.

Kate takes a deep breath. "No sweetie I'm not mad. Lanie tried to get me to do the same thing earlier but I had work to do. You just took an end run around my reasons for not going. … I should probably thank you, but I'm just too stunned at the moment."

"Dad will be happy to see you. I know he loves you and Gina is probably getting on his nerves." Alexis knows what Gina can be like, even after dad divorced her.

"I love him too, and yea Gina is getting on his nerves a little." Kate downplays what Gina is doing.

Alexis smiles. "That's code for a lot."

Kate laughs. "Yes, that was code for a lot." Kate agrees.

Once they are inside the loft Alexis hugs Kate quickly. "Good night Kate."

Kate hugs her back. "Good night Alexis. I'll see you in the morning." And watches Alexis go up the stairs to her room.

Kate decides to turn in early, since she didn't get that much sleep last night.

Kate was in the bathroom cleaning up for bed when she heard her cell phone ring. Kate scrambled to get to her phone to answer it.

"Castle!" Kate could see and hear him again. "Wait, I'll get my charger." Kate tells him and then scrambles to find her charger.

Plugged in and ready Kate slides into the big bed. "Hi Castle, still in New Orleans?" Kate knew he should be but thought she should ask.

"Yup, till tomorrow morning for the flight to Dallas. I even got to get out and see part of the city. I had some fried chicken at Willie May's which is legendary. It was pretty good too. Not that I got them to give me the recipe." Castle was bummed.

"Castle, if you had a secret recipe would you hand it out to everyone who asked?" Kate chastises him.

"Stop confusing me with your logic woman." Castle had wanted that recipe.

Kate just giggles. "Did you go with Gina?" Code for is he still having trouble with her?

"Heavens no! …. Though I did have to sneak out so she couldn't latch her claws on me. Plus she got arrested at the airport as soon as the plane landed. Hopefully they will keep her. Not that I'm going to hold my breath" Castle wished he didn't have to sneak around to avoid her.

"Do anything else?" Kate hoped he got to see and do more than just eat.

"Well I did manage to go to the French Quarter and then went shopping at Canal Place. … I may have bought you something." Castle is hesitant to mention it since he wanted it to be a surprise but knows Kate is not big on them.

"You bought me something? What did you get me Castle?" Kate was suddenly excited.

"I boxed it up and will bring it home with me, so you'll just have to wait.." Castle deflects the question.

"What did you get me Castle?" Kate tries again.

"Oh no Kate. I'm not ruining the surprise, you'll just have to wait." Castle tells her.

Kate decides to put on a pout face since he can see her. Maybe that will work.

"It's not going to work Kate. My tell Kate prevention software is working properly this time." Castle isn't telling.

"Ok fine, keep your secret. I won't tell you my secret either." Kate had one too and there was no way she was telling Castle, but that didn't mean she couldn't use the knowledge of her secret to get him to talk.

"You have a secret!? …. What's your secret?" Castle was dying to know.

"Oh no Castle, my tell Castle prevention software is working properly too." Kate gives it right back.

"Oh Kate!" Castle pouts and gives Kate his pout face.

"Not going to work Castle, you'll just have to wait." Kate knew it was going to be one whole day and it was going to be her own little piece of hell waiting. But it was going to be so worth it.

"Did you catch a new case?" Castle changes the subject.

"No it was just a paperwork day for the previous case." Nothing happened, well nothing she was going to tell Castle.

"How is Alexis? Is she enjoying her time with Dr. Parrish?" Castle tries a new topic.

"I think she's liking it. I know Lanie is. She wants to know if Montgomery will hire her so Lanie can keep her." Kate laughs a little over what Lanie had told her. "Are you not calling her?"

"I am and I'll call her after we are done, I just wanted to hear it from someone else. Plus that's how I found out she was working with Lanie in the first place." Castle confides.

"You mean you whined and begged for her to tell you." Kate corrects him. Getting Castle to remain silent and take the 5th.

"Alexis is doing fine Castle. She even came up with a couple of your crazy theories about who killed our vic." Kate tells him remembering it sounded like something Castle would dream up.

Castle smiles. "That's my girl."

"And I'm not your girl Castle?" Kate teases.

"Well, .. uhm, I didn't, … I mean she's and your, …." Castle is tongue tied.

Kate starts laughing. "You're too easy Castle." Kate lets him off the hook.

"You are an evil woman Kate Beckett." Castle was convinced she was going to kill him one day.

"You have no idea Castle." Kate teased.

"Any big plans tomorrow?" Castle tries something else since he seems to be losing every topic of this conversation.

Kate had really big plans and Castle was going to find out what they were when he got to his room. "No" Kate lied.

Castle saw something in that answer and took a guess. "What has my mother done?"

"Your mother is fine Castle. In fact I haven't seen her in hours; I don't know where she is." Now Kate was worried. She had lost track of Castle's mother. "I gotta go Castle." Kate didn't wait and hung up her phone.

Grabbing a robe Kate went flying up the stairs and checked on Alexis first before moving on to Martha's room.

Kate knocked softly and then opened the door slowly in case she wasn't alone for some reason.

It was dark and inside she found Martha asleep on her bed. Kate started breathing again and went back out the way she came as quietly as she could.

Once back in the hallway Kate moved over to the stairs and sat down. 'What was she doing?'

She had panicked and intruded on Martha's private space, she needed to get a handle on herself.

It was time to get back to being who she wanted to be. Kate got up and went downstairs and grabbed her phone and sent a text.

'Your mom is fine Castle.'

Then Kate went into the bathroom and removed her clothes, turned her back to the mirror and took a picture of the mirror. Satisfied with her result she sent it to Castle then put her sleep clothes back on and washed her face.

Kate was just getting into bed when her phone buzzed telling her she had a text. 'Evil woman I'm going to turn into a Popsicle' It had Kate smiling proud of herself. Kate didn't have any trouble getting to sleep secure in the knowledge that Castle was going to be surprised in the morning, and that she was going to see him in Chicago the day after.

Kate was up, showered and dressed and in the kitchen cooking breakfast when a dressed Alexis came downstairs.

"Hi Kate. Breakfast?" Alexis sat at the counter.

"Hi Alexis, yea I figured it was my turn to do the cooking. How do you feel about waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon?" Kate asks though it was already too late if she didn't.

"Sounds great, I think we have something to put on the waffles." Alexis was pretty sure they did.

"We do, it's what got me to think of waffles in the first place." Kate turned her back and went back to cooking.

"Katherine dear, something smells good." Martha steps into the kitchen to stroke Kate's arm while starting the coffee machine.

"Morning Martha, I'm sorry if we haven't seen much of each other. I'm not trying to hide out." Kate didn't want Martha to think she was running away again. Kate was done running, unless it was into Castle's arms.

"Nonsense dear, you have work to do. If it wasn't for the smell of your cooking I would have missed you this morning too." Martha used her energy when she chose to. Get up early or stay up very late. It didn't happen a lot so she would pick and choose.

"Thanks Martha." Kate was still amazed how this family let her off the hook so easily.

"Ok you two, the waffles are in the warmer, the bacon is done and give me a few seconds for the eggs and you can find what you want to drink. I'll take a small glass of orange juice if it isn't too much trouble." Kate was just about done cooking.

Alexis had cut up the fresh strawberries so they could put them on their waffles. She had also pulled out the syrup.

Martha had poured out all the orange juice and they were all sitting eating.

"How is Alexis doing with her internship?" Martha asks Kate.

"As far as I know she's been doing great. Lanie wants me to ask Captain Montgomery if we can hire her so she stays longer than a few weeks." Kate confides.

"REALLY!?" Alexis perks up.

Kate giggles a little. "Yes really. I don't know that it's in the budget but that's not up to me."

"COOL!" Alexis was still excited. Maybe she was going to get to work with Dr. Parish and by extension with Kate longer than she thought.

Kate started cleaning up after she was done, however Alexis stopped her. "You cooked so that means I clean." Alexis took the plates away from Kate and started rinsing everything and putting it into the dishwasher.

"I'm going to go grab my bag, we need to get going Alexis." Kate reminds her and heads for the bedroom.

"We'll be back tonight Martha provided we don't get a case. And I'm cooking tonight so no order in allowed." Kate warns Martha.

"You take care of yourself Katherine." As Martha hugs Kate. "And you too dear." And Martha hugs Alexis.

Kate and Alexis shared a cab and parted at the entrance to the building.

Kate found the bull pen mostly empty. The boys were not here yet however Montgomery was. Kate dropped her stuff at her desk and turned on her computer. "No time like the present."

Kate walked over the Captain Montgomery's office and knocked. "Beckett?"

"I wanted to thank you for the day off sire and apologize that it was Alexis who asked for it." Kate wasn't sure how Roy thought about what happened.

Roy just smiles. He was happy for Beckett. She deserved to be happy. He had noticed what Castle had done for her and thought they were perfect together. Plus he felt guilty and was willing to do anything he could to help her.

"Was there something else Beckett?" Kate was hovering a little too long for a simple apology.

"Dr. Parish wanted to know if we could hire Alexis to work with her instead of just be her intern for a few weeks." Kate tells him wondering what Roy would say.

"What does Alexis think of this?" Roy knew the answer already.

"She was excited this morning about the possibility, sir." Kate was happy to convey Alexis's reaction.

"And you know this why?" Roy had a suspicion but wanted to see if Kate would admit it.

"The boys helped me move into the loft with Castle yesterday." Kate cringes not used to talking about her personal life. Let alone with her boss.

"It's about time Beckett. … Does Castle know?" Since Castle was gone on a book tour.

Kate was shocked but recovered quickly. "No sir, it is going to be a surprise when he gets back." Kate had no intention of telling Castle when she saw him in Chicago tomorrow.

TOMORROW! She was flying to Castle tomorrow. Kate couldn't but for a grin to form.

"I'd pay good money to see that. …. As for Alexis, Dr. Parrish has already approached me. I presume you approve?" Roy wanted her thoughts. Two Castle's in the same building. One that was employed and one that was not.

"Yes sir, very much sir." Kate wanted her close. It would give her more access to Alexis so they could get used to each other.

"Good, since it is already in the works. We should get a response back from 1PP before the end of next week. They will probably be sending someone down to observe her and Dr. Parish before they make their decision.

They didn't automatically reject it so I'm guessing it's in the budget. … Was there something else Beckett?" Roy had paperwork to do before he went downstairs. Robbery was going to do a big bust today after months of hard work, and he wanted to be there for that.

"No sir, thank you sir." Kate left his office grinning. She was going to get to work with Castle and Alexis. Kate checked her watch. Castle should reach his hotel room in about 5 hours since Dallas is behind them.

The boys came in and sat at their desks. They all needed to be kept busy so Kate went downstairs and pulled a cold case at random. One she knew nothing about. Sometimes fresh eyes could lead to good things.

Kate stopped at the Morgue to give Lanie her part of the case and went over it with her and Alexis, then went back upstairs.

Kate and the boys started putting it up on a white board.

Kate had been staring at it for a couple of hours now, trying to piece it together. When Alexis showed up.

"Hi Kate, I brought up Lanie's notes on your cold case." Alexis handed them over.

Their vic was dead and they didn't have a name for her. She wasn't in the system and her dental work didn't match anyone's dental records.

"It says you don't even have a name for her. A real Jane Doe." Alexis points out.

"No missing persons cases, no one came to ID the body." Kate didn't know who she was either.

"Maybe she's an alien?" Alexis offers.

Kate spins and looks at Alexis. Kate could just swear she heard Castle in that comment.

Alexis was looking back at Kate funny. "What?"

Kate shakes her head. "Nothing, you just sound like your father." Kate couldn't help but notice.

Alexis wasn't sure what that meant but it sounded like a compliment, maybe, so she went with it.

"Maybe an alien made her?" Alexis offers up instead.

"Aliens made her?" Kate gave Alexis her best 'SERIOUSLY?' glare.

"Yea, changed her hair color, contacts to change her eye color, drugs to change her skin color, ..." Alexis trails off.

"Change her face, change her height, change her teeth, ….. How do you change finger prints?" Kate went with it for the moment.

"Nip and Tuck." Alexis whispers. Remembering some obscure TV show that existed for a couple of seasons.

"PLASTIC SURGEON!" They both tell each other at the same time.

Alexis was grinning because it was fun. Kate was grinning because it felt like Castle was here and she loved the feel of it.

"Ryan start looking up plastic surgeons. See if anyone did this amount of work to one person. And check to see if more than a single surgeon did this. Maybe one did the face while another did something else after.

"Espo get a warrant. I want her body exhumed and sent to Lanie. I want her to look at her to see if she has been changed. New cheek bones, legs are longer, signs of breast enhancement." Kate shoots of a list.

"Boob job? … Why would a woman do that to herself?" Alexis didn't get it. Sure she was envious of the attention women with big chests got compared to her, but to cut herself to change that so she could add something fake to her body?

Kate sighed. "For some women it's all about how they feel about themselves. Our society says women should not be flat chested. Not overweight, their butt is not too big, their hair is full. So they pay to have someone fix it. Give them what nature didn't give them." Kate tries to explain. This was probably something Castle never talked to her about. Since he was a guy.

"But that means the guy loves her fake parts not her. And she is willing to be part real and part fake." Alexis didn't get it.

Kate thinks about it. "Your mother is an actress. TV, movies, something. It's an environment that lends itself to people looking perfect. Or what a number of people say is perfect. Would she hesitate to change her look to be perfect?" Kate was also searching to see what Alexis thought of her mother.

"Yea mom would do it in a heartbeat. I know it sounds bad." Alexis lowers her voice. "Mom only thinks of herself. … I cringe every time she shows up. All she does is upset everyone and then goes away after she gets what she wants. … Does that sound bad of me?" Alexis didn't want to feel that way about her mother. She was her mother, she should be happy to see her. But she never is.

Kate couldn't help it, Alexis was soon in her arms giving a much needed hug. "I'm sorry Alexis. …. I grew up loving my mother. We were really close. I can't imagine what your life with your mother has been like." Kate hugged her a little tighter.

Kate pulled back but didn't let go of Alexis. "I promise sweetie, I'm my mother's daughter." Kate tells her trying to put Alexis's mind at ease. _Wait, did I just tell her I was her mother? … Except it felt so good. Yea Kate was in deep, she could only hope Castle would be there to catch her._

Then Kate's cell phone rang. "Hi Castle." Kate coos with Alexis still standing next to her anticipating what the call was about.

Alexis started to leave but Kate grabbed her and shook her head. "How's your room in Dallas?" Kate knows exactly what it looks like.

"I don't know how I'm going to thank you for this Kate, but I promise I will find a way no matter how long it takes me." Castle was still a little out of breathe, especially after reading the card that came with it.

"You like it then?" Kate had been nervous.

"It's amazing Kate, and for the record. I love you too." Castle really knew he loved her, this certainly told him that Kate loved him too.

"I love you too Castle. … Alexis is standing here helping me with a cold case." Kate hands her phone to Alexis, and puts a finger to her mouth and then zips her mouth closed.

Alexis takes the phone, grins wide for a lot of reasons and zips her mouth closed. "Hi dad."

Kate started walking for the break room to get some coffee.

"KATE DID WHAT?" Alexis spins to watch Kate walk away. Kate twists her head to smile at Alexis.


	8. Chapter 8

**CH8**

I'm not deaf! And for the record, it is the automatic spell checker. You should see some of the stuff this thing thinks I'm trying to type.

Some i catch and some i do not. "Isn't that right sir?" ... "Yes sire!" As an example. So i will continue to butcher the English language as long as my spell checker gets some of it to slip past me.

Should i proof before posting? Actually i do. I even have a beta reader who catches some of what i don't. And since, sense or scents, he isn't paid to do it, ... However by then I'm reading what i want it to say not what it actually says.

Live with it. You're an adult, not a child!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They didn't get a body drop all day. Kate and the boys had gone thru their cold case financials and didn't really see anything. Her phone records only went back a few years and no one had any others for them to look at.

She had a driver's license but didn't have a car, which wasn't all that unusual for New York City. Kate had a driver's license and except for her work cruiser she didn't have a car either. Her motorcycle was already in Castle's garage and had been there for weeks now already.

Castle had at first been harassing her about letting him go for a ride on it. However eventually he got distracted enough to stop bugging her about it. Problem was even she hadn't ridden it for a while now.

Ryan was going thru the list of cosmetic surgeons of which there was a surprising number of. What they really needed was the body for Lanie to work with at that looked like it was going to take days.

Kate had gotten back from the bathroom and found Alexis sitting at Espo's desk looking at something.

"Alexis, what are you doing?" Kate wasn't mad but she was a little annoyed that she was poking her head into something she shouldn't.

"I'm waiting for you to go home and I saw the financials of your Jane Doe cold case. …. And there is something funny about them." Alexis tells her.

Suddenly Kate wasn't mad but interested. "What's funny about them?"

"Well you see these latest ones here." Alexis goes through the list she had made in the time Kate had been gone. "They look relatively normal. I've never heard of these places but we could google them. But it's these here when she was supposed to be a teenager.

I've never heard of these places either so maybe we can google them too. What's weird is how much money did you make when you were a teenager?" Alexis asks. "And did you work part-time or full-time?"

Kate grabs the originals and not the list Alexis had written down for herself. "I worked part-time, it was all I had time for."

"Exactly, and even if you did work full-time, would you have this much money without getting it from your salary?" Alexis noticed that her bank account was larger than what her full-time paychecks allowed for.

"Unreported income?" Kate offers.

"Or unreported gambling income?" Alexis offers.

"Gambling income in New York wasn't legal back then." Kate points out.

"So what area of the country is it that is legal?" Alexis offers.

"That doesn't make sense. There is nothing to indicate she ever set foot outside of New York. Illegal gambling network in New York?" Kate wonders out loud.

"Maybe she was getting gambling winnings from a relative or family member?" Alexis offers.

"We need a name first and to get that we need the body for Lanie to look at." Kate decides to leave notes for Espo and Ryan to follow up with tomorrow since Kate was going to be in Chicago.

"Come on pumpkin lets go home. I think I promised to cook tonight." And Kate heads for her desk to shut down her computer and get out her weapon and grab her bag.

Alexis however just sat there with her mouth hanging open staring at Kate.

Kate finally looked at Alexis when she was ready to go. "What? Is something wrong?" Kate started looking around with her weapon in hand since she hadn't put it in her holster yet. "What?" Kate was back on Alexis again.

"Nothing, … I'm just used to ordering in when dad is gone." Alexis lies. There was no way she was going to embarrass Kate by pointing out she had called her, her father's pet name for her. Kate might apologize and never do it again, on purpose.

"O-kay. …. Ready to go?" Kate wasn't sure she believed her but it did make sense, a little.

Alexis snapped out of it. "Sure." And started walking for the elevator.

"Katherine, Alexis dear. You two are finally home." Martha swooped over and hugged Kate and then kissed Alexis. "How was your day? You two look so serious." Martha wondered if something is wrong.

"We started looking at a cold case today since we didn't get a body drop. Alexis found something that the rest of us hadn't seen." Kate had to give her credit.

"So like father like daughter." Martha was smiling.

"Alexis had been a big help since she started. At first I was worried about having two Castle's working in the same place. Castle may be gone this week, but so far it's been fun. … I need to go change and wash before starting dinner. …. And no ordering in you two." Kate calls over her shoulder as she heads for the on-suite.

Martha stares at Alexis waiting for an explanation while Katherine is gone, knowing she doesn't have much time.

"Kate called me 'pumpkin' grams, she did it without noticing that she did it." Alexis confides in Martha.

"Really?" It was not what Martha was expecting. "It sounds like Katherine is coming around."

"Kate has been so guarded grams. In some ways she still is. … Oh she also got dad an I love you banner, I love you balloons and a lot of flowers. Dad found them in his hotel room this morning." Alexis quickly gets out.

Martha started smiling even wider. "Dad was crying grams."

Martha was happy. Katherine was coming out of her shell and falling in love with her son and his daughter.

"Kate almost called me her daughter one time. It was more about Kate was not mom but was her mother's daughter. Not willing to treat me like mom does." Alexis quickly adds before Kate got back.

"We have to come up with a plan to thank her dear. Something that helps her understand she is a part of this family now. Katherine is good for Richard." Martha needed to start planning something, something big.

"Kate is flying to see dad tomorrow." Alexis offers.

"Excellent, we can start planning something while she is gone." Martha offers. Getting Alexis to nod her head.

Kate came striding back into the kitchen. "You two ready to help start cooking? … We need a salad Martha, and we need some vegetables chopped Alexis." Kate gives out orders. Kate took over the kitchen and had the two of them doing what she wanted.

"You are a good cook Katherine, your mother would be proud of you." Martha thought her son was a good cook. Having two good cooks in the family was going to get her fat, so there was a down side.

"Thanks Martha." Kate managed to take the compliment without blushing.

"How is your father doing?" Martha changes the subject knowing Kate hasn't talked about him much.

"He's been doing better lately, but I still worry about him." Kate was always worried he would end up drunk again.

"When was the last time you talked to him dear?" Martha didn't want Kate to pull away from her father, he was the only blood family she still had.

"It's been 2 maybe 3 weeks I guess." Time had gone fast on Kate and talking to her dad had never gotten into the practice of talking to him even weekly. Kate had essentially grown up alone.

"Does he know you have moved here dear?" Martha thought he should know where he can find his own daughter. Kate however shook her head.

Kate had told him she was dating Castle but not much more. Kate had a hard time letting him back into her life. He may leave her again so she was keeping him distant.

Martha didn't think it was the right thing to do but she wasn't going to push Katherine. She may run even faster in the other direction and she thought Katherine was making great progress with their family and she wanted it to continue.

Alexis cleaned up since Kate cooked. Martha excused herself for the evening and went to her room.

"I'll make sure you are up in the morning Kate so you can make your flight. I'm going to go read." Alexis tells her, then hugs Kate and goes up to her room.

Kate picked up her book with the intention of reading it, but put it back down and went into the bedroom to pack an overnight bag for tomorrow. With just a carry-on it would be easy to get around.

It was an early flight so she decided to go to bed.

Kate was suddenly awake and initially confused as to why. Then she knew it was because her phone was ringing. "Beckett." Kate assumed it was a body drop even though she was off tomorrow.

"I'm sorry Kate, did I wake you?" Castle could hear it in her voice.

"Castle! …. Yea, it was a long day and I went to bed early." It was only a white lie so Kate didn't feel bad about it.

"I should let you get some sleep than. We can talk tomorrow." Castle was ready to hang up.

"No, no, I'm awake. Honest." Kate sat up against the headboard.

"Kate?" Castle knew better and if she went to bed early she must really be tired. "We can talk in the morning when I get to Chicago. I have only the one signing tomorrow at 3:00. I can call when I get to the hotel and then again when I'm done."

"What about Gina?" She was on this tour too, even though Kate was beginning to really not like her.

"Gina can go talk a long walk off a short pier. You should have heard her blow up when we reached the hotel here. I don't know what her problem was. I was just happy her room was on another floor." Castle tells her, getting Kate to smile wide.

Kate figured she was going to have to send Gina another message to keep her claws off her man. Kate knew what she had found even if Gina didn't. And she liked Alexis and Martha.

"I even ordered room service to get away from her. I will be so glad when this book tour is over. … I really wish you were here Kate." Kate could hear his moaning or pleading in his voice. Castle was unhappy and it was breaking her heart.

Kate so wanted to tell him she was flying out to see him tomorrow but she wanted it to be a surprise so she remained quiet.

Castle took her silence to mean Kate really was tired. "I'll let you got back to sleep Kate. I love you."

"I love you too Castle." And the call ended. "So very much Castle."

Kate slid back down into the big empty bed and tried to go back to sleep. Hearing the sound of Castle's voice missing her was keeping her awake.

Kate woke up to the face of Alexis in hers. "Alexis?" Kate wasn't awake enough yet to be certain.

"You need to get up mom or you're going to miss your flight." Alexis tells her not noticing that she had called Kate mom.

Fortunately for Alexis and the schedule neither had Kate. "My flight?" Kate sat up in bed suddenly. "MY FLIGHT!"

"You have to shower and get out of here. The car service will be here in about 20 minutes." Alexis tells her.

Kate hops out of bed and is in the shower in a flash.

Kate only partially dries her hair and gets dressed and adds some make-up real quickly. Then picks up her already packed bag and exits the bedroom. Where she finds Alexis still in her sleep clothes standing at the front door.

Alexis hands over a small paper bag and a stainless steel coffee travel mug. "The car is downstairs, that is a bagel and the other is your coffee. Say Hi to dad for me and tell him I love him." Alexis was smiling.

Kate drops her bag and hugs Alexis. "Thanks Alexis, I don't know what I'd do without you. …. I love you."

"Get going Kate or you're going to miss dad." Alexis had worked too hard for this to fail.

Kate was out the door and Alexis closed it. "I love you to." Alexis adds. Alexis flew up the stairs to go back to bed. Things were going great.

In her room Alexis grabbed her phone, she had forgotten something, so she sent Kate a text. "Hotel will give you key. Luv u 2."

Kate could see why Castle loved first class so much. Castle had upgraded her to first class on the horribly long flight to and from LA just a few months ago. And here she was flying out to him and it was because of his daughter.

Kate found a guy with her name on a card waiting for her just outside security. Alexis had arranged for a car service for her.

Kate was at the front desk. "I'm Kate Beckett."

"Of course Ms. Beckett, we've been expecting you." The lady at the reception tells her.

Kate was impressed standing in the lobby area of HOTEL PALOMAR CHICAGO

505 North State Street Chicago, IL 60654

She was soon back with the key. "We have upgraded you and Mr. Castle to one of our Artist Suites as requested. We have also changed Ms. Cowell's room to a standard room on the second floor, also as requested. …. We hope you and Mr. Castle enjoy your stay with us."

Kate was grinning, she was going to owe Alexis big time for this. "Please don't tell Mr. Castle I'm here, and keep Ms. Cowell as far away from us as possible no matter how much she complains." Kate didn't want Gina to butt in.

"It's already been taken care of Ms. Beckett. Our instructions were quite specific." The lady smiles at Kate.

Yea, Kate owed Alexis big time.

Kate went up to the room, it was big! Not huge, but big. It only had one bedroom with a king size bed unlike the hotel in LA. Then she found the bathroom. "OH, … MY, …. GOD!" While Castle was out signing books Kate was going to put this room to use waiting for Castle to come back to her.

Kate got busy changing into something she had bought long ago but had never had the nerve to wear before. She had checked to make sure it still fit before bringing it. Then she sat out front waiting for Castle to arrive.

Kate was sitting there nursing her bottle of water she had found in the room when she heard someone at the door. Kate grabbed her bottle of water and ran for the bathroom.

Castle let the door close behind him. He was going to kill Gina today, he really was. The display she had put on downstairs when she found out her room wasn't going to be anywhere near Castle's room and was several floors away.

Castle had left her with his key in hand downstairs yelling and screaming at the lady at the front desk who wasn't listening to Gina.

Castle dropped his bag on the bed and let out a heavy sigh. It was a little before 11:00 and he had to leave at 2:30 for his 3:00 signing. Then he had the rest of the evening. If he left his room he might run into Gina so he was trapped in his room, again.

Then he heard a noise and turned to look. Kate was standing in the doorway leading to the bathroom. She was wearing a leather bustier with mesh stockings that had garter belt straps attached to the bustier. Plus she was dangling a pair of hand cuffs on her fingers.

Kate was leaning up against the door frame. "Hi Castle. … Miss me?" Kate used the best sultry voice she could come up with. And then started twirling the hand cuffs.

"KATE! …. Kate?" It was a Kate, Castle hadn't seen before.

Kate strode towards Castle with as much sway as she could put into it and steps up to him and starts undoing buttons on his shirt. "Too many clothes Castle." Kate didn't have a lot of time before Castle had to leave, so they needed to get started, now!

It wasn't until after round 2 that Kate let Castle out of the handcuffs. The second Castle was out of them he had Kate on her back and round 3 was quick and passionate.

They were lying in bed wrapped up in each other's arms working on getting their breath and strength back.

"You need to be in the shower Castle, you have to leave in half an hour." Kate points out.

"Screw the book signing. Let's go paint the town? There has to be something to do in this city." Kate was here and letting go of her just wasn't something he wanted to do.

"Your fans are probably already all lined up waiting their turn Castle. Plus I'm not going to give Gina a reason to yell at you." Kate got out of bed and held out her hands. When Castle took them she pulled him up and escorted him into the shower. Where a little shower fun took place.

Kate in a robe and nothing else escorted Castle who was fully clothes to the door. "Go make your fans happy Castle. I'll still be here when you get back. I have a red-eye flight back home tonight.

Maybe we can go out to eat then come back for round 4." Kate purrs while playing with his shirt collar.

Castle wraps his arms around Kate and kisses her. The kiss started to get a little heavy before Kate broke from it. "Get going Castle, I'll still be here."

Castle reluctantly lets go of Kate and turns for the door only to get stopped by Kate who quickly kisses him. "I love you Castle, so very much." Kate looks into his eyes as hers start to water.

Castle gives Kate a quick kiss. "I love you too Kate, so very much."

Castle has the door open and starts to step out. "If Gina so much as touches a hair on your head Castle, I'll break both of her legs."

Gina ran for the elevator and was downstairs waiting for Castle where she was hyperventilating.


	9. Chapter 9

**CH9**

Gina was talking to Castle all the way out to the book store. It started out about his books but soon turned to why his latest books where based off of some stupid cop, and he was going to get himself killed following her around.

"My personal life is not your concern Gina, you're my publisher." Castle was fast reaching his breaking point.

"I'm you wife." Gina counters.

"We're divorced Gina. Considering how much it cost me and how much you gained one would think you would remember that. You're still my publisher due to my contractual obligation with Black Pawn. What I do is not your concern." Castle exited the cab at the bookstore and went inside.

The store was ready for him and essentially took over the process.

Gina approached and asked Castle to take a break. Castle refused and kept signing.

The second the last person had his signature Castle was up and moving. The book store owner tried to stop him to thank him, however Castle blew right past him.

"Richard! …. Richard where are you going?" Gina yells after him. However she had paperwork to wrap up with the book store owner and never catches up to Castle.

Kate was regularly dressed and sitting in the living room area reading when Castle came charging into the room. Kate looked up. "Hi Castle."

Castle walked over and let the door close and offered his hands. Kate took them and let Castle lift her up. "Come on Kate, there has to be something in this town to do, let's go find it."

"I didn't bring any paint." Kate counters.

"We'll buy some along the way." Castle offers.

Navy Pier

600 East Grand Avenue  
Chicago, IL 60611

"I'm buying Castle and I don't want to hear any whining about it." Kate warns him as they approached the ticket booth.

Castle slumped his shoulders, he knew that look and tone. He had already lost. "Fine, I have a call to make anyway." Castle pulled out his phone and scrolled until he got who he wanted and pressed send.

"Castle, what are you up to?" Steve his lawyer answers the phone noticing the caller ID.

"I'm doing great at the moment. Steve I need to exercise my option since this is my final year." Castle tells him.

"You're sure about this? This will end your association with them." Steve reminds him.

"I'm aware of that. I need someone else. I've found someone and I don't want to lose her. She's, … she's special. There is something else I need for you to arrange for me." And Castle went thru what he wanted in detail.

"Have you got all that?" Castle asks.

"Yea I've got it. You're going to need to sign and have a witness." Steve advises him.

"Can I do it electronically? This is the 21st Century." Castle was not a big fan of waiting.

"Yea, in addition to the witness it would help if it was notarized. You just need to print it and have them sign it, scan it and send it back. When I get it I'll rush it thru and we'll be done. If you can get all this before end of dinner, say 7:00 pm your time, it'll be done today." Steve explains. "I know a judge."

"Thanks Steve, I'll get it to you as fast as I can." Castle hangs up just as Kate comes up with their tickets.

"They didn't have any paint." Kate grins.

Carousel, Ferris Wheel, Light House, Links (miniature golf), Wave Swinger.

Kate was laughing while hanging onto Castle as they left the Pier area. Castle was grinning wide while he kissed the side of her head.

"Hungry?" Castle asks.

"Starving!" Kate hadn't eaten anything all day, unless you count Castle this morning.

"I have to stop at a bank along the way and then we can find a restaurant. Nothing fancy but quiet enough so we can hear ourselves think." Castle offers.

"Lead on Castle." Kate didn't know this city so was willing to follow Castle.

The cab took them to the closest bank where Kate waited while Castle signed several documents, had them witnessed and notarized, then scanned and sent via email along with having them faxed.

It only took about 30 minutes and Castle asked if there was a nice place to eat that wasn't overly fancy.

Castle found Kate still sitting and waiting. "Ready to go?" Castle offers his hand.

Kate takes it and rises. "Where to Castle? Room service?" Kate asks suggestively.

"You are an evil woman Kate Beckett. But I want to show you off a little. You're mine, all mine." Castle grins at Kate.

"Yes I am. Lead the way Castle." Kate kept a hold of his hand as they walked out.

25-27, 4th in AL Central Division

"Baseball Castle?" Kate was shocked and then suddenly happy.

"Name me one place that has better hot dogs then eating them while watching a baseball game?" Castle offered.

A baseball game, hot dogs and a soda, with Castle sitting next to her suddenly sounded like the most perfect evening, ever.

Kate took Castle by his arm and walked him to the ticket booth. This time Kate didn't mind if Castle paid.

Section 117, row 1. Right down front. If they were lucky they might get a foul ball.

White Sox vs Cleveland Indians.

Kate was having a blast. Neither of them were her home team so she was rooting for both teams all game long. Castle was having a blast simply because Kate was. Making Kate happy is all he really wanted to do.

Castle suddenly hit the floor and waited a minute before getting up. Kate was grinning at him while tossing her baseball up in the air a couple of times to re-catch it.

Then Kate noticed she was on the big screen after having caught a line drive foul ball so she grabbed Castle by his collar and pulled him down to kiss him. Soon she had most of the stadium applauding.

After she let go of Castle, Kate took a couple of bows and then sat down hanging onto Castle for the rest of the game.

It was 10:30 and Kate had a 1:00 am flight that night. Get to the airport and go thru security and they were only just leaving the ballpark.

"That was fantastic Castle, Thanks." Kate plays with her souvenir baseball.

"You still expect me to believe that you caught that head splitter?" Castle wasn't sure he believed a word of it.

"You would know if you weren't hiding on the concrete floor." Kate smiles at him.

"For the record I was trying to pull you down with me, I simply missed. … To save you from getting hurt of course." Castle was lying thru his teeth and from the look on Kate's face she knew it too.

"That's very chivalrous of you Castle. I think you should be rewarded for your selfless act of bravery." Kate pulls him down to kiss him again.

"The hotel is kinda far away from here and you have a 1:00 am flight." Castle moans.

"Then we'll just need one that is closer, won't we." Kate grins at him.

"TAXI!" Castle yells.

Castle was escorting Kate in the airport as far as he could. "What about my bag?" It suddenly occurred to Kate.

"I'll bring it with me. You already have all your ID on you, everything else is at your apartment. I don't think you brought that much." Castle grinned.

"Castle, there is something I need to tell you, please don't be mad." Kate wasn't sure how he was going to take this.

"I don't have anything at my apartment anymore. Actually it's up for sale." Kate cringes.

Castle looks shocked. "Where, … where are you going?" Castle was suddenly so very afraid Kate was running.

"Except back to New York, nowhere. Lanie and the boys helped me move everything into the loft a couple of days ago." Kate hopes Castle isn't mad.

"You moved into the loft?" Castle is a little shocked.

"Castle, …." Kate is interrupted when Castle grabs her and kisses her, hard.

Breaking from the kiss. "You moved in?" Castle wants to be sure he isn't dreaming or heard wrong.

Kate was smiling and nodded her head.

Kate was instantly in a bone crushing hug. "I love you Kate, maybe more than you'll ever know. And I'm going to do everything I can to prove it to you. No matter how long it takes me."

"I love you too Castle. I don't deserve you. There are women who would kill to be where I am now." Kate didn't get what he saw in her. She was so screwed up in her eyes.

"Kate you really don't understand do you. … You don't have to be perfect. No one does. I love you BECAUSE of the faults you think you have. That is what makes you, you. And I'm in love with you. All of you. Including any faults real or imagined.

And I'm going to prove it to you. I promise." Castle stroked her face with his fingers.

Kate wipes away a few tears. "I love you too Castle, and I'm sorry it took me so long. I've put you thru hell and you never quit on me. …. But you're in now Castle. And I'm not losing you now. Even if I have to kill Gina and get the boys to help me get rid of the body and have Lanie lose all the paperwork if she ever is found." Kate wipes away still more tears.

Castle starts laughing. "Gina isn't going to be a problem after this book tour. … You'll be home when I get there?"

"I'll pick you up at the airport personally Castle and then take you home, our home." Kate smiles and gives him a quick kiss.

"I like the sound of it. I'll be looking for you. …. You should get going. Security can be a pain." Castle kisses her soft and tender.

Castle watches until he can't see her anymore then heads for street level to get a cab. He has just gotten in and given his destination when his phone buzzes.

It was from Kate. "I luv u"

Castle typed a response. "Luv u 2"

Two more days, just two more. Tomorrow was 2 book stores in Pittsburgh and then he was home. A home that had all the women he loved under one roof. Speaking of women he needed to call Alexis when he got to the hotel.

Castle was all packed up and had his bag, his laptop and Kate's small bag and was headed thru the lobby to take a taxi to the airport when he was intercepted by Gina who was downstairs waiting for him.

Gina didn't give him a chance to take a separate taxi since she climbed in right behind him.

It was thankfully quiet for a while for which Castle was grateful. Problem was it didn't last all the way to the airport.

"So who was she Richard?" Gina drills him sounding mad.

"Who was who?" Castle wished she would just shut up.

"The bimbo who was in your room yesterday." Gina had heard her so knows there was someone.

"There was no bimbo in my room yesterday Gina, and keep your insults to yourself." Kate was definitely not a bimbo.

"Oh please Richard, I heard her in your room. So how much did she cost you? $1,000, … $5,000, … $10,000? … You could do so much better." Like her.

"I did not pay for sex Gina, not that it's any of your concern, so please just stop talking." Castle was going to change his seat and sit in the tail of the plane. Somewhere peaceful if not as comfortable.

"Not my concern? Not my concern. … Everything you do is my concern Richard. If you needed sex you could have told me." Gina would have been in his room in a flash.

"As in have sex with you? Seriously? We're divorced Gina, or have you had another episode?" Where was the damn airport?

"Well it would have been better than some big tit bimbo. At least I know what you want." Gina knew they had, had sex before.

"And you would know a big tit bimbo when you see one wouldn't you." Castle countered.

"Excuse me!" Gina was insulted.

"You should look in the mirror Gina. Big tits, blonde hair, hasn't got a clue what she is talking about." Castle had reached his boiling point. Just one more word Gina, just one.

"Just because your new muse isn't blonde or have tits doesn't mean she isn't a bimbo." Gina was searching for a button to push and she found one.

"That does it Gina. I've already turned in my paperwork exercising my option for the final year of our contract, signed it and sent it to my lawyer. I'm done with Black Pawn. As soon as this book tour is done that completes my contractual obligations. In two days your are fired Gina. …. FIRED, … FIRED, …. FIRED!" Castle yells at her.

Gina's face fell. Castle could tell she had heard every word of that. FINALLY!

The taxi driver had been paying attention. He had worked out that he had Richard Castle the novelist in his taxi and their argument had gotten his attention. He was doing everything he could to try and get every last word of this.

He was hoping he could sell it to one of those cheap magazines that also told you about Angelina Jolie was going to have an operation on another planet. This stuff would be worth gold if he could get it out before anyone else caught wind of it.

The minds of all three of them only for a split second registered the sound of cars crashing and felt their seat belts bite into their shoulders. And only felt for a split second the pain of metal impacting their bodies until their world went dark.

Kate was striding thru the New York airport headed for ground transportation. Alexis had told her there would be a car service with a sign waiting for her. She felt a little weird not having a carry-on bag or a checked bag.

Kate's head was on a swivel looking for her name. "KATE! … KATE!" Alexis was jumping up and down waving her arm standing next to a guy in a suit.

Kate strode for Alexis as fast as her long strides would take her and soon had Alexis in her arms and Kate in Alexis's arms.

"Hi Kate." Alexis was smiling.

"Alexis what are you doing here?" Kate wasn't expecting her and she was alone except for the driver which was something she didn't like. But she would save that talk for later.

"I couldn't wait to find out how your visit with dad went. … You did see him didn't you?" Alexis was curious.

"Yes I did and it was great. I need to thank you for getting me to go. The trip was amazing. … Come on I'll tell you all about it. …. Well maybe not ALL about it." Kate was smiling embarrassed. Some of it was X-rated and not for Alexis's ears.

Alexis was grinning knowing just what Kate was talking about. Alexis took Kate's arm and escorted her for the town car that was waiting for them.

Kate went thru most all of it, just leaving out the x-rated parts. Then Kate pulled out her souvenir baseball that she caught, saving Castle's life as he cowered on the concrete floor. Getting Alexis to howl in laughter.

Her dad was never going to live that one down. Not when Kate had a baseball as proof.

Plus the trip to the rides at the Pier, and the hot dogs they ate at the ball park. Kate was so happy.

Kate had to repeat it all for Martha when they got home. Kate even had Martha laughing at her sons expense.

"I'm so glad it all worked out for you Katherine. I'm glad you had a good time. … Are you still going into work today?" Martha thought Kate had to be tired. She had been up for hours.

"I was only given one day off Martha. I'll be ok, just need lots of coffee is all." Kate was smiling knowing it wasn't really going to be that easy, but it had been worth it. Castle loved her and she knew it.

"Oh I also told Castle that I had moved out of my apartment and moved into the loft." Kate told them.

Alexis almost squealed and jumped for joy behind Kate's back. Martha had an "AND?" look on her face.

"Castle was happy and kissed me." Kate tells them.

"Of course he is dear, he loves you." Martha responded like there was any other possible response.

"I know Martha. At least I know it now." Kate loved Castle too, so very much.

"Well I'm going to go take a shower, change and go into work." Kate tells them and heads for the on-suite.

"I'll make coffee." Alexis calls after her. And Alexis was ready at the door to share a cab into the precinct with her.

Kate arrived at the precinct a little later than usual and found that the boys were already in.

"Hey Beckett, how was your day off?" Espo knew she didn't take many vacation days. Or maybe that was never took vacation days.

"It was fine Espo, did we get our body on our cold case yet?" Kate asked.

"Came in late last night, Lanie should already have started on it." Espo tells her.

"I'll be downstairs checking with Lanie if anyone wants me." And Kate headed for the morgue.

When Kate got there Lanie wasn't doing anything but drilling Alexis about how Kate's trip to Chicago had gone.

"I hear you had fun girlfriend. I expect all the juicy details later." Lanie whispers out that last part. Getting Kate to smile. Lanie had been pushing her at Castle for weeks or months actually, now here she was bound to Castle heart and soul, and it felt so good.

"What about our body here?" Kate changed the subject.

"There isn't much left of her since she's been in the ground a long time, but it's all there. Give us a few hours and we can tell you everything she can tell us." Lanie tells her, meaning her and Alexis.

Kate went back upstairs to her desk and started looking over her cold case again to get back up to speed.

"Beckett, my office." Montgomery yells out from the doorway and goes inside to sit down.

"Sir?" Kate asks as she enters.

"Seems the mayor and the brass at 1PP have found the money necessary to hire Alexis to help Dr. Parrish for one year. Here's the paperwork for her to look over. It might be best to let her lawyer look them over, if she has one.

"I'll let you present them to her when you're ready." Roy tells her.

"I'm sure Castle has one, thank you sir." Kate figured she was holding gold. Two Castle's in the same precinct. She didn't know if the precinct was going to survive it, but she couldn't wait to find out.

"How's the cold case?" Montgomery changes the subject.

"The body has been exhumed and is in Lanie's and Alexis's hands. They should know something in a few hours." Kate informs him.

Roy nods his head. "Keep me informed. It'll be good to take on off the books." Roy hated cold cases as much as Beckett did.

"Yes sir." Kate went back to her desk.

"Beckett?" Espo asks if it was something she could share.

"They're going to offer Alexis a job working with Lanie for the next year." Kate waves the papers.

"Two Castle's in the same precinct?" Ryan asks.

"We're doomed. It'll be nothing but CIA and ninja's for a year." Espo mocks pain, not really meaning it. He wanted Castle back too and was interested in what adding another Castle to the mix was going to do for them.

Kate just ginned knowing he was kidding.

Kate was yawning and it wasn't even lunch yet! Time for more coffee.

Kate had just stood up when her cell phone rang. Without looking at it first. "Beckett." …. "Yes?" Kate didn't understand who was calling her.

Kate listened and her hold on her phone weakened and it fell from her hand and hit the floor. Ryan could see Kate's face go blank since he was facing her and he got Espo's attention who had heard the phone hit the floor so was already turning in Beckett's direction.

Neither of them made it to Kate before she followed the phone and hit the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

**CH10**

Sorry for the delay. Life got in the way. How about 2 chapters for one as a peace offering.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Espo and Ryan got Kate up and onto the sofa in the break room then Ryan went to inform Captain Montgomery that Beckett had collapsed.

Roy followed Ryan to the break room. "What happened?"

"She got a call on her cell, then she dropped the phone and then she collapsed." It's all Ryan knew and he saw most of it.

"Get Dr. Parrish up here and tell her to have Miss Castle stay behind." Roy orders and steps over to pick up Kate's cell phone. Then went into his office with it.

Lanie was upstairs a moment later and looking over Kate and asking what Roy had asked and got the same answer.

"Her heart rate is a little elevated for someone who is unconscious, and her blood pressure is up too. …. You sure you don't know anything else?"

Ryan and Espo both shake their heads.

Lanie checks her over again this time looking for any marks on her body. Snake bite, dart, something, anything. However she finds nothing. It was a mystery, one Lanie didn't feel good about.

Roy was standing at his office door. "Dr. Parrish." Roy calls out.

Lanie steps over and Roy offers her to step inside to sit and closes the door.

Ryan and Espo keep one eye on them and one eye on Beckett.

Then both eyes are on Lanie when she cries out "NOOOO!"

Ryan and Espo could see Lanie sobbing with her whole body shaking. "I don't like this bro." Espo points out the obvious. Ryan was shaking his head. He didn't like it either.

It was close to 30 minutes before Lanie came back out of Roy's office with Roy in tow.

Lanie was still crying heavily and wiping the tears away as fast as she could, but wasn't keeping up very well.

"Ryan, Espo. I want you two to help Dr. Parrish take Beckett and Miss Alexis home. Then I want you two back here. You still have work to do." Montgomery tells them.

"Sir, what's going on?" Espo asks.

"Just get it done Espo and then get back here. …. Now detective." Roy all but yells at him.

"Yes sir." Ryan and Espo help carry Beckett down to one of their cars and lay her in the back seat.

Espo goes and gets Alexis and takes her out her to his car while Lanie went with Ryan and Kate.

"What's going on Espo?" Alexis was in the dark and didn't like it.

Espo shook his head. "I don't know, Beckett collapsed and the Captain told us to take you two home."

"Kate collapsed! …. Why?" Alexis was suddenly scared. Kate was strong; she just doesn't collapse for no reason.

"I don't know Alexis, but I think Lanie does." Espo tells her.

"What makes you think Lanie knows anything?" Alexis was getting more scared.

Espo could see it and decided he had already said too much. "Just something I think I saw, that's all."

Once they were all on the elevator Roy went into his office, then roared and proceeded to break everything that was breakable in his office. Then sat in what was left of it and started crying.

Beckett had lost her mother due to his actions and he had been doing everything he could to make it up to her ever since. Castle was good for her. She hadn't been having any fun until Castle came along. Beckett didn't deserve this.

Ryan didn't say a word and just drove. Beckett was still out in the back seat and Lanie was softly crying with her whole body shaking. Whatever it was, it was bad. Really bad.

Roy snapped out of it a few minutes later and went searching for his phone. He had a call to make. Roy couldn't afford to leave and tell her in person like she deserved, he had an entire precinct to handle. But he felt it should come from him and not someone else.

Ryan and Espo were carrying Beckett to the elevator that lead to the loft. Alexis had caught up with Lanie. "What's wrong with mom Lanie?" Alexis didn't know what she was saying, she just knew she was scared.

Lanie however had heard the words and any other time she would be happy, but she wasn't and didn't know when or if she ever would be again.

Lanie just wrapped her arms around Alexis and helped both of them up to the loft.

Alexis unlocked the door and let everyone in. Inside they found Martha sitting on the sofa crying loudly.

Alexis looks at Lanie and ran for Martha. "Grams?" Alexis was even more scarred now since everyone seemed to be crying.

"Put her in the bedroom guys." Lanie tells them, and follows them inside.

Lanie checks on Kate to make sure she is lying comfortably and goes with the guys back into the living room.

Out here it had gotten worse. Alexis was sobbing openly and shaking in Martha's arms who herself was still crying.

Ryan and Espo turned on Lanie and waited.

"That phone call Kate got told her that Castle had been killed in a traffic accident on the way to the airport this morning. His publisher and the taxi driver were killed too." Lanie started crying again.

Ryan and Espo had their jaws fall to the floor. Castle was dead? This just wasn't possible. It was a mistake. It had to be! Anything else just wasn't possible.

Now they both had tears running down their face. Castle was like a brother to both of them. He may not have a badge but he was a cop none the less. If true they had just lost one of their own.

"How? …. I mean, ….. how?" Ryan finally found his voice.

Lanie could only shake her head since she didn't know. "Montgomery is going to arrange for the body to be brought home to us." Lanie tells them.

"It's not him. It has to be someone else. Someone with his ID on him. Something!" Espo prays.

"We should get back Javi before Montgomery sends someone after us." Ryan tells him.

Espo nods his head, not liking it. "We'll be back after we get off. We can take turns watching over Beckett and little Castle." Espo tells Lanie.

The guys let themselves out while Lanie goes over to Martha and Alexis and wraps her arms around both of them and joins them in crying.

Lanie knew this was going to kill Kate. It was hurting Alexis already. It was going to be a challenge to help both of them, but especially Kate. Her heart was already vulnerable.

Lanie had managed to get both Alexis and Martha upstairs and in their rooms to get some sleep. Their bodies and their minds needed some rest.

The grief stage was just starting for all of them. Next would come denial. It wasn't possible. Just not possible.

Lanie didn't have any clothes here so she had to wait for the guys to show up before she could go home and get some. Lanie planned on staying as long as Kate needed her, even if it meant sleeping on the sofa.

Lanie was sitting at the breakfast bar nursing a glass of wine when the guys showed up.

"How are they doing?" Espo asks as soon as he is in thru the door.

"Kate is still asleep, which is probably for the best. The others are in their rooms hopefully also sleeping. … Anything?" Lanie wanted to hear that they had the wrong guy.

"Chicago PD identified the bodies using the ID's they found on them. Their convinced that it is Castle and his publisher." Roy broke the bad news.

"You should see the Captains office, it looks like a tornado hit it and he hasn't said a word since we got back." Ryan adds.

They all figured the news hit Montgomery hard too. Castle wasn't just a writer.

"They're shipping both of the bodies out to us tonight. They should be here late tomorrow." Espo tells her.

"I'll do it." Lanie would do the autopsy.

"You sure Lanie, this is Castle we're talking about." Espo needed for Lanie to think this thru.

"You really think Kate would want someone else looking him over?" Lanie countered.

Ryan and Espo remained silent, she was right and they knew it.

"I'm going to go home and get some clothes. I'm not leaving Kate, …. Or them." Lanie gathered up her things and headed out the door.

"I'll check on Beckett." Espo offers. While Ryan nodded and went upstairs.

The met back in the living room. "I'm telling you bro it's not Castle, it can't be."

"Chicago PD is that incompetent?" Ryan asks.

"There are good cops and there are bad cops. Every cities got them. They are just taking the easy way out so they don't have to do the paperwork. I'm telling you, it's not Castle." It couldn't be, Espo wasn't going to let it be.

They were still sitting quietly when Lanie came back. "Anything?" Lanie asks as she drops her bag.

"They're all still asleep. I'm going to go get us something to eat. I'll be back." Espo tells them and leaves.

"You think it's really him?" Ryan finally asks, praying that Javi is right.

"I don't know Kev, for their sake, I certainly hope not. This is going to kill Kate." Lanie knew it was going to be bad.

Ryan already knew that. For the first time since he had known her, Kate was happy it was all because of Castle.

Espo was back and they were done eating. "You should get some sleep Lanie, we'll watch them. Someone needs to be awake all night to watch over them. You might as well take the first shift." Espo tells her.

Lanie nods her head and grabs her bag and heads for the spare bedroom upstairs.

The guys have the TV on when Lanie comes back downstairs. It's late, really late. Espo is asleep on the sofa and Ryan can barely keep his eyes open and the TV isn't helping any.

"Wake up Javi and go home Kev, I'll stay up all night watching them." Lanie tells him.

Ryan had Espo up and out the door. They worked out Ryan will be by in the morning to relieve Lanie, then Espo will relieve Ryan, leaving Lanie for the late night shift after she got off work. Lanie would sleep during the day.

Lanie was sitting in a nice big comfortable chair that she had pushed from the living room into the master bedroom so she could keep an eye on Kate.

Lanie would occasionally get up and go upstairs to check on the others; however she found them still asleep just like Kate was each time.

Lanie was back in her chair when Kate bolted upright. "CASTLE!" Kate was disoriented and tears were running down her cheek.

Lanie instantly was on the bed holding onto Kate. "It's alright Kate, I'm here."

"Castle?" Kate questioned thinking it was Castle that had a hold of her.

"Kate it's alright, it's me, you're fine." Lanie tried to sound calm.

"Lanie? …. Where's Castle?" Kate wanted Castle and she wanted him now. Then Kate started looking around. She was home and in bed and she still had her clothes on.

"Where's Castle?" Kate just wanted Castle.

"I'm sorry honey, so very sorry." Lanie didn't really know what to tell her. Lanie hadn't really worked that one out just yet. Now she was out of time.

"CASTLE!" Kate yells out his name. He was just in the other room, right? Where was Castle?

"The phone call. That voice." Kate started breathing heavy working herself up into hyperventilating.

"Lanie?" Kate was well into hyperventilating now. "Lan, … La, …. La, …." The voice said Castle was dead. Kate finally broke down and started sobbing barely being able to breathe.

Lanie tightened her hold on Kate and could feel Kate's body shaking and hear the crying that was turning into wailing in her ears. He best friend was falling apart on her and all she could do was hold her and start crying with her.

It was some time before Kate calmed back down enough for Lanie to let go of her and let her lay down. Kate had instantly curled up into a fetal position and continued to cry softly with an occasional hiccup.

Lanie got up to get Kate something to drink but couldn't get her out of her fetal position to get her to drink it. In fact Kate had ignored her very existence which had Lanie concerned.

Lanie checked on the others thru the night, it appeared they had moved a little. Maybe gotten up to use the bathroom but had gone right back to bed.

Lanie was back in her big chair watching Kate who appeared to be asleep again still curled up in a fetal position when Ryan showed up in the morning to re-leave Lanie of her duties.

"Kate knows Castle is gone, she spent hours sobbing on my shoulder. She's been quiet ever sense. The others haven't left their rooms either though I think they have been up from time to time. Probably just to use the bathroom." Lanie updates him.

"I'll be here Lanie. Montgomery gave me the day off. He's going to let us take turns watching them so long as either Javi or I are available.

Montgomery gave Beckett the next two weeks and then re-evaluate then." Ryan explains. "The bodies should be here in a few hours today. … You sure you want to do this? It's Castle." Ryan questions. Castle meant a lot to all of them.

"And tell Kate I let someone else touch him? I'm not doing that to her. I'll deal with it." Even the pain Lanie was about to go thru was nothing to the pain Kate was already going thru, and didn't know when it would ever go away.

After Lanie left Ryan went upstairs for a quick peek, then checked on Beckett, who was still in the position Lanie had mentioned.

Ryan's heart was breaking for her. Kate was like a sister and losing Castle was going to hurt her a lot.

Ryan next went into the kitchen to find a glass of water, then he saw the coffee machine so he started it instead.

Ryan was just finishing pouring him a cup. "DAD?" Alexis entered the kitchen. Getting Ryan to turn and face her.

"Oh I'm sorry." Alexis saw it wasn't her dad and turned to go back upstairs.

"Alexis, wait." Ryan asked. "Come on, sit." Ryan pats the breakfast bar.

Alexis decided to be nice and sat at the counter. Then watched Ryan open the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice, then searched for a glass, filled it and set it in front of Alexis.

"Thanks." Alexis whispered and sipped it.

"I'd ask you how you are doing, but I can guess. We all loved Castle. And to be honest I'm still hoping Lanie comes back and tells us it's not Castle and that Chicago screwed up. I'm not giving up on him just yet." Ryan tells her not trying to make her feel better. He was really trying to make himself feel better.

Alexis didn't want to get her hopes up but she had latched onto the idea as the only way to get her dad back. "Maybe." Alexis wasn't however going to tell him that.

"Lunch?" Ryan offers. "Or is it more Brunch?" Ryan really didn't know or know what to go get since he wasn't going to cook.

"You want a sandwich?" Alexis offers and moves around to the refrigerator and starts pulling stuff out.

Ryan at least got her to sit back down while he made one for her and one for himself. But them in half and then put it all back into the refrigerator.

Alexis was almost done with her sandwich before she talked again. "How is Kate doing?"

"You can go look for yourself. Lanie told me she woke up and spent the next several hours crying." Ryan explains what he knows. "How's your grandmother?"

Alexis suddenly felt guilty. She hadn't checked on Grams since she went up to her room to cry. Alexis decided to fix at least part of that.

Alexis hopped off her chair and walked for the master bedroom to check on Kate.

Stepping inside as quietly as she could she found Kate still dressed in her clothes from yesterday, unlike Alexis, and she was curled up in a fetal position.

Kate and grams were all she had left if Ryan was wrong. Alexis moved over to touch Kate and got nothing in return. Alexis's tears suddenly started again. She wanted Kate's comfort to make her feel better, but Kate was hurting just as much.

Maybe they could help each other so Alexis kicked her shoes off and layed down and spooned herself in behind Kate and place an arm over her and squeezed herself in as tight as she could.

"I love you Kate, please don't leave." Alexis whispered into her ear and let her tears fall where they may.

Ryan noticed that Alexis didn't come back out so he went to take a quick peek, then went and sat at the breakfast bar and remembered he saw a piece of Tupperware that looked like it held fruit so he pulled it out and was slowly munching on a piece when Martha made an appearance.

"Ms. Rodgers." Ryan noticed her.

"Detective Ryan." Martha greeted him. "Alexis wasn't in her room, you know where she is?" Martha had gone looking for her a little concerned for her.

"She came down a little while ago and ate a sandwich then went into the bedroom with Beckett and never came back out." Ryan explains. "Can I make you a sandwich?" Ryan knew where it all was now.

"Thank you." Martha would take a sandwich. While Ryan was making one she went to the master bedroom to look in.

Inside she found Kate and Alexis were facing each other and Kate had her arm around Alexis holding her tight. They both looked to be asleep. "Please be alright Katherine, we're your family now." Martha's tears started again. She had outlived her only child, something no parent should ever do.

At least Katherine and Alexis seemed to have found each other.

Martha moved back to the kitchen for her sandwich wiping away her tears as she went.

"They're in bed together." Martha tells him.

"Yea, Alexis was spooning Kate last time I looked." Ryan tells her showing that he was keeping an eye on everyone.

Martha smiled, since that meant Kate had responded and now had a tight hold on Alexis. It would take work, but maybe Kate would recover.

Martha knew she had lost a son, but maybe with some work she had gained a daughter.

However that was for the future, for now she was down a son.


	11. Chapter 11

**CH11**

Lanie had gone home to get some sleep, problem was she didn't get any. And now here she was leaving the morgue to go get some lunch. She wasn't supposed to be here yet but since she couldn't sleep Lanie couldn't think of anything else to do.

Lanie had talked Javi into going to lunch with her. "How's Beckett?" Was Espo's first question.

"Falling apart on me is what she is doing." Lanie was getting ready to cry again. "Javi I pushed and I teased for months to get Kate to open her eyes to see what Castle could do for her, and what happens?" Lanie saw this as being her fault.

"You didn't know this was going to happen Chica, it's not your fault." Espo knew it wasn't, besides he was still holding out that it wasn't even Castle in the first place.

"Then why does it feel like it?" Lanie had done all she could to get Castle and Kate together, and now it was destroying her best friend.

The rest of lunch consisted of how to get Kate out of the house and back into living her life and if Montgomery's two weeks was going to be long enough.

Espo went upstairs while Lanie went downstairs where she was intercepted. "Dr. Parrish, the two bodies you have been expecting have arrived and are inside." And he walked off.

Lanie started having trouble breathing. Castle and his publisher was here. Lanie started for the door and found her hand shaking as she was ready to push it open. Lanie stopped, not much got to her but walking in there suddenly had her scared.

Lanie considered having Javi come down and give her a push, then it occurred to her that what she was feeling was nothing to compared to what Kate was going thru. "Suck it up girl." Lanie tells herself and pushes the door open.

Inside she finds two tables with bodies that have cloths covering them. Lanie swallowed hard and pulled the cloth back. Female, somewhere in her 30's with blonde hair. "Publisher." Lanie guesses.

Lanie steps over to the other table and stands there starring at the body. With a shaking hand, so very afraid of what she is going to find Lanie pulls the sheet back.

Lanie instantly drops the cloth leaving the face uncovered and starts crying barely able to keep standing. Lanie just stares and cries heaping sobs that rack her body.

It takes a number of minutes. "Oh Castle, what are you doing on my table? …. You're not supposed to be here. You should be marrying our girl and having little Castle babies."

Lanie got to work. All she had left was to prove it wasn't Castle and was really someone else.

Cranal injury with a skull fracture with obvious injury to the temporal lobe and parital lobe. Right shoulder is shattered, right arm is broken in three locations with one compound fracture. Right lung was collapsed, 4 ribs on the right side are broken. Large intestine and small intestine damage. Right kidney is damaged beyond repair. Pelvis on the right side is shattered and the right leg is broken in four locations, all compound fractures.

Lanie took samples for DNA testing and took x-rays of his jaw to compare to dental records she already had.

Body weight closely matches Castle's last known weight as proved by his doctor. His eye color matches the color on record as does the hair color.

Lanie compared the x-rays with the dental records and thought they matched perfectly but she sent them to his dentist for confirmation just to be sure. It would take a few days to get any DNA results.

A quick blood test showed that the type was a match to Castle's that they had on record. It like the DNA would take a few days to determine if it was a match and was a family genetic match with Alexis.

Lanie stopped and went back to crying while putting her report together.

Several minutes later she took her report up to give it to Captain Montgomery. Lanie took a passing glance at Javi as she walked past.

Javi could tell Lanie had been crying, it told him what she had was bad news, but he still held out hope. Maybe they were happy tears.

Lanie didn't knock or announce herself. To be honest she didn't think she had a voice to tell him anything. Lanie just held her report out in front of her.

Roy started to take it by taking a hold of the end he had been offered and looked up at Lanie with his unasked question. Lanie could only nod her head as more tears started.

Roy took the report from her and placed his forehead down on his recently repaired desk. Roy had been holding out hope that it wasn't Castle either.

Lanie walked out without saying a word and walked past Javi and into the break room. Javi was right behind her. Lanie turned and found Javi right behind her with the million dollar question written on his face.

"It's Castle Javi." Lanie moved into his arms and started crying in earnest yet again.

Several minutes later. "Come on Chica, I'll take you home." Javi offered to get her out of here. Not that, that would make things better.

Lanie shook her head still in his arms. "I've still got a body." Meaning the publisher.

"It can wait, you've had enough for one day. Besides I need to go relieve Ryan and then you can follow me later tonight. … Go grab your medical bag and let's go." Espo started walking away with her, guiding her to the elevator.

Espo thought of texting Ryan the news but decided it could wait until he got there after dropping Lanie off and making sure she went to bed.

Two hours later Javi knock's on Caslte's door getting Ryan to answer.

From Ryan's point of view he could tell Javi had been crying. A trained special forces guy crying was not a good sign.

"Is there a beer or something?" Espo asks. Maybe it would dull the pain.

"Yea, there is some in the fridge." Ryan goes and pulls one out and sits it on the counter in front of Javi. Ryan looks at Javi questioningly.

"Lanie finished one of the bodies a couple of hours ago. …. It was Castle." Javi all but chugs his beer without ever taking a breath.

Ryan just deflates and manages to remain standing. He had secretly hoped it wasn't Castle either. But fellow cops wouldn't make that kind of mistake to one of their own, even if it was in another city. The blue wall rallied around its own.

Ryan decided a beer was a good idea and pulled one out for himself and another one for Javi. In seconds Ryan had half of his gone while Javi was just sipping this time.

"Now what do we do?" Ryan had lost people before, just no one this close before.

"Now? …. Now we help put Beckett back together and move on." Javi had done it during the war in the Gulf. He knew how to do it, just didn't mean he liked it any. "Go home and get some sleep Kev. Lanie will be here later to take over. The Captain is going to expect to see you there in the morning." Javi reminds him.

Ryan chugs what's left of his beer, nods to his friend and is out the door.

Espo leaves his beer and heads for the master bedroom to check on Beckett. Inside he finds Beckett and Alexis facing each other, but with a strangle hold on the other. From what he could see Beckett looked haunted and pale. Nothing like the Beckett he remembered.

Figuring that Martha was upstairs in her room he went back to sipping on his beer.

It was hours later when Martha came downstairs to fine Espo sitting on the sofa watching TV. Espo had only just changed the channel after checking on Beckett finding her and Alexis still asleep and still holding onto each other.

It broke his heart to watch the two of them suffer. Castle was a friend but he meant so much more to these two.

"Detective." Martha announces herself.

Espo jumps up and faces her. "Ms. Rodgers, can I get you something?" Maybe it was a chance to be useful.

"Would you like something to eat detective? I can order something be delivered." Martha offered. Something to take her mind off of everything, even for a moment.

"That's all right ma'am I don't mean to be a bother." Not that Javi wasn't interested in free food, but this was just different somehow.

"Perhaps you'll change your mind. Are Katherine or Alexis up?" Martha was going to order for everyone if they were.

"They're both still asleep, I just checked." Espo explains.

"Perhaps is just as well." Martha was hoping that sleep was healing them a little.

Martha pulled out her phone and ordered some Chinese food for herself and Espo.

After eating Martha excused herself and went back upstairs to her room.

Espo couldn't help but feel like he was sitting in a morgue. He was all alone and no one in this home was living.

Espo had just stepped out of the master bedroom having looked in on Beckett and Alexis. It appeared that they had moved a little. Probably gotten up and used the bathroom and didn't notice.

They were still in bed together just not wrapped up in each other's arms any more.

Lanie was at the door and let her in and filled her in on what had happened, asking if Lanie had gotten any sleep. Getting Lanie to only shake her head.

It wasn't just the loss of Castle that was hitting her, it was Beckett. Beckett was her best friend and until she could get Kate up and trying to fight for her own life, Lanie was at a loss.

Grieving needed time before moving on to the next phase of loss. None of them however were past the grief part yet.

Lanie finally caught Kate and Alexis awake, however all she managed to do was get them to drink some water before they latched onto each other again and laid back down in bed.

Lanie made each of them a sandwich and left it in their room for the next time they woke up. Kate was always thin but if she didn't start eating soon Lanie was going to have to do something drastic.

It was now two days later:

Lanie had finished her autopsy on Gina Cowell and determined that it really was her.

The blood test results were back and they matched those of Castle's they had on file. The first of the DNA test results would be in, in a couple of days.

Problem was in the last two days the knowledge of Castle dying had gotten out and there were enough paparazzi and real journalists outside the loft it was in danger of sinking. It was all Lanie, Ryan and Espo could do to get in and out of the building.

Getting takeout delivered had become impossible so each of them had started bring food for everyone in with them. Only problem was Kate and Alexis were still not eating and still in bed together.

Naturally one of the paparazzi went one step too far when Espo was coming in one day. Espo took it as an assault on his person and had the guy with a bloody nose down on the concrete just outside the front door.

This action brought cruiser after cruiser to the site. Naturally the paparazzi guy claimed innocence and wanted Espo arrested or suspended.

Captain Montgomery put an end to all of it. He had the paparazzi guy placed in lockup for 24 hours while the entire 12th precinct started digging into his past.

After they finally found what they wanted Montgomery had him arrested and the following day half the police force was out and surrounded the Castle loft forcing everyone to back off far, far away.

Naturally the journalists started fighting back with lawyers, however all that started to slow down as each paparazzi or journalist tested the limits and found themselves arrested and had their entire lives inspected until they found something.

The next day the area was clear of paparazzi, journalists and police.

Back in Chicago the guy who had hit Castle and killed everyone in the taxi had been held for 24 hours while they worked out if he should be charged.

Video of the intersection showed that the taxi driver had clearly run a red light. A very late red light. If there had been a car in front of him he would have rear ended it and not continued into the intersection.

The taxi had been hit by a large delivery truck which had clipped the rear right side where Castle had been sitting. This action spun the car 180 degrees only to be hit by a large 4x4 Dodge Ram crew cab. This strike also hit the same place and did still more damage on Castle's side.

The Dodge Ram then forced the car into a car sitting at the right coming from the other side. The driver had mistakenly shoved his foot down of the gas instead of the brake. This crushed the car from the other side.

A taxi that was entering from the opposite side of the first truck and the Dodge swerved to avoid the first truck and slammed into the rear of the taxi forcing it off the car it had been forced into by the Dodge.

Everything was on video. The accident, what all the civilians in the area did, when the first police cruiser arrived on scene. The first fire truck and ambulance. Everyone got to watch them use the jaws of life to try and pry the car open to get to its occupants.

Everything! The next fire truck, two more ambulances, several police cruisers, finally followed by tow trucks to haul the affected cars away.

The intersection had been closed for hours while they mapped out everything and talked to everyone in the area.

On behalf of the Castle's, lawyers sued the taxi company and the taxi driver himself, even though he had died in the accident too.

It wasn't any more fun for the drivers of the delivery truck, Dodge Ram and the car that had slammed into the back of the taxi.

The press and paparazzi were all over them. At home and at work. "How did it feel to kill Richard Castle? Did they know he was in the taxi? Did they strike the taxi on purpose? Had they ever met Richard Castle? Had they bought any of his books?"

It was weeks before they were finally left alone, however by then their lives had been changed. The press had seen to that.

One day Martha caught Katherine stepping out of the bathroom. "Katherine dear, please eat something." Martha was worried about her, they all were.

"I'm not hungry Martha." Kate responded. All she wanted to do was go back to bed. Castle was gone and there wasn't any reason to eat.

"Katherine, PLEASE!" Martha tries again. She doesn't have much to bargain with her to get Katherine to eat. At least she didn't think so. Martha feared even mentioning her sons name would only solidify her refusal to eat and wither away, until she joined Castle in death.

Kate however only ignored her and laid back down in bed and tried to go back to sleep. There was nothing else left to do. Kate had given her heart to Castle and now he was gone and so was her heart.

Martha was up and she shooed all the others out and told them to go back to their lives. Martha was in charge now.

Martha was having a little better luck with Alexis, she had at least managed to get her up and eaten something. However she went right back to bed with Kate. Her father was gone and Kate was disappearing with him.

Then one day Martha got a call from Steve, Castle's lawyer. He wanted to go over Castle's will with them. Her, Alexis and Kate were the only ones listed.

This woke Martha up and now she had something to work with to convince Katherine to get up out of bed.

The day before Steve was to arrive Martha had literally dragged Kate up and out of bed and escorted her to the kitchen where she got Kate to eat something.

Martha bargained with Alexis to help her with Katherine. Steve was coming to discuss Castle and Martha wanted them to all be there to listen.

Martha was praying that Steve had something that would pull Kate out of her pit of despair. "Please Richard, Katherine needs you one last time." This had to work, it had to.


	12. Chapter 12

**CH12**

Martha had managed to get Kate and Alexis up and out of bed and they were all sitting on the sofa across from Steve, Castle's lawyer.

Kate and Alexis were still a mess. They hadn't eaten anything or hardly drank anything in days; Martha couldn't even get them to stay standing long enough to take a shower. Kate was shutting down, completely and Alexis was going with her.

Steve, Castle's attorney had agreed to come to the loft instead of having them come to him. Martha was never going to get Kate or Alexis that far anyway.

"I have Mr. Castle's final papers with me, since the body has been identified and being Mr. Castle we need to go over them. I'll try not to take up too much of your time." Steve explained. Castle had been a friend to him too and even he wasn't unaffected.

"Ms. Rogers, these are yours. Essentially Castle has left you the house in the Hamptons along with all its furnishings and everything that is contained within.

In addition to this there is an account with funds in it to pay for the house keeping for the next 5 years, based off of the present rate of inflation. In addition the insurance on the house has already been paid in full for the next five years. Also the house is paid for and there is no mortgage so you own the house free and clear.

There is also a trust fund set up in your name that you can withdraw funds from as you see fit to a maximum amount of $700,000 per year. At present its value is estimated at 10.3 million dollars based on today's dollars. Depending on how you use it, it will continue to grow in the coming years.

Questions?" Steve gives them a moment to let it sink in.

Martha had known her son had money, just not this kind. Plus Martha had every intention of sharing it or spending it on Alexis and Katherine. So she shook her head.

"Miss Alexis, there is a house in Bel Aire that you may or may not know about. It also is paid for and there is no mortgage. Like the house in the Hamptons the insurance is already paid in full for the next five years. Also there is an account to be used for maintenance and upkeep that should also last for the next 5 years.

At present this house has one tenant who pays no rent, nor does this person pay any of the utilities. She has lived in the house for the last 3 years, give or take.

This house is now in your name, however there is a stipulation that you cannot sell it until you reach the age of 21.

In addition there is a trust fund set up in your name that you cannot touch until you reach the age of 21. Until such time you will be given a sum of $3,000 weekly in which to live off of.

At present the trust is worth $21.6 million dollars in today's dollars and it will continue to grow thru the years. Depending on how much of it you use when you reach 21 it will also continue to grow, just like Ms. Rogers.

Also there is a separate fund that is specifically to be used to pay for your college expenses, based on the present costs for colleges like Stanford or Oxford, for 4 years." Steve concludes his part for Alexis. "Questions?"

"Who lives there?" Martha asks.

"A one Meredith Lee, Mr. Castle's first wife, ex-wife that is." Getting shocked faces from Martha and Alexis, This was news to them. Kate however while she had been listening didn't really care. What money or who it went to mattered little to her, she just wanted Castle. They could have every penny she had if that is what it took.

"Ms. Beckett, I have a fair number of papers to go over with you." Steve warns her.

"ME!?" Kate had heard that. Why was she involved? She wasn't family and these two had already gotten large sums of money. What could possibly be left?

"The day before Mr. Castle's untimely accident in Chicago he called to have his will heavily modified." Steve explains.

"Chicago? …. The bank." Kate put two and two together.

"Mr. Castle has left you the loft and all of its contents. Like the other two properties there is no mortgage and you now own it free and clear. Also just like the other properties the insurance on the loft is paid in full for the next 5 years. Also the housekeeping has its own account that should pay for cleaning and maintenance for the next 5 years." Steve pauses since there was so much to go over with her.

"Castle left me the loft?" Kate didn't understand.

"There is also another account similar to a trust that is in your name. It presently has a worth of 14.2 million dollars in today's dollars. Like the others it will continue to grow." Steve pauses since there was still so much more. "Also the Mercedes and the Ferrari are also yours."

Kate had heard the number and the word Ferrari but was having trouble digesting it. Martha put her arms around Kate. "My son loved you Katherine. Did you really think he would leave you?"

Steve continued. "Mr. Castle has created another trust in the name of Johanna Beckett and presently has an amount of 1 million dollars in it. The sole stipulation is that there is a fund raiser every year to gain additional donations. This trust money is to be used for young lawyers that are not part of giant corporate law firms, and are just starting their careers." Steve pauses seeing Kate's face almost fall to the floor.

"There is more. …. In addition you will be receiving all the royalties from all the book sales of the Nikki Heat series or anything else that has to do with the Nikki Heat series. Future movies, comic books, TV series, what have you.

Miss Castle will be receiving the royalties from any future sales of the Derek Storm series which is likely to be less but still selling." Steve tells them.

Kate was having trouble breathing and had started to cry again, which wasn't easy. Kate had been convinced she was all out of tears.

"I have a couple of more things for you still. … One is this." And Steve pulls out a set of documents.

"Since Mr. Castle had full custodial rights to Alexis after his divorce from his first wife, he has named you as her next legal guardian until Miss Castle reaches age. If you sign these you agree to be her legal guardian with full custodial rights. … Essentially Miss Alexis will be your daughter until she reaches age" Steve explains.

Kate's mouth hits the floor. Alexis would be hers? …. Oh Castle what have you done?

Alexis now had a hold of Kate's arm and was looking at her, pleading silently to sign the papers.

"Katherine, we all know how much you loved my son. We also know how much you love Alexis. … Just sign dear. We'll be here to help you. We and your friends will all be here to help you." Martha had a hold of Kate's other arm.

"Please Kate. You and grams are all I have left, I can't lose anyone else." Alexis had been pretty sure she had run out of tears to, but here she was crying while holding onto Kate.

Kate took Steve's pen and signed before she had time to think about it and back out and run. She was done running. Plus Castle had asked her to look after Alexis if anything happened to him and she had said yes. Never thinking it would come to this.

Steve took the signed papers. "I've got a couple of more things for you." Steve pulls out another set of papers. "This one is a little more, ... odd." Steve wasn't sure how these three were going to take it. He had never heard of or done anything like it before.

Steve puts the papers down in front of Kate. "This is a marriage certificate. Mr. Castle signed it but didn't date it and sent it back to me as part of the paperwork while he was in Chicago. The day before his, … accident."

"The bank." Kate mumbled out again.

"Mr. Castle has signed his half; all you need to do is sign your half. I will date it as being the day before his accident and turn in the paperwork. I already have a judge, who is a Castle fan, who is willing to sign and date it for the same date.

As strange as it may sound or as morbid as you think it may be, you'll be married to Mr. Castle for one day and be his widow the next." Steve was really wondering how they were going to take this.

"There is something else that goes with this. If you choose to sign, you can also sign these papers." Steve pulls out yet another set of papers.

"I will back date these papers to the same date and have them signed and dated by the same judge. These are adoption papers for one Alexis Harper Castle.

If you decide to change your name when you sign the marriage certificate, you will be Mrs. Castle and if you sign these, Alexis will be your legal daughter. Alexis Harper Castle, with full custodial rights." Steve knew this was a lot to take in but he had one more thing for her to consider.

"While I have no idea what you are thinking, however for this to work, you need to sign one or both today. If we wait too long the judge does not think anyone will buy it and your chance will have come and gone." Steve is forced to force her hand.

"I'll give you three a few minutes to think it over." Steve got up and headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water. Something a lot stronger was probably called for, but he was willing to wait.

"Katherine dear, talk to us. Tell us what you are thinking." Martha wanted to help and Kate was going to need all she could get. Yes she had lost her son, but Katherine had lost so much more.

"Do you not want to marry dad?" Alexis wonders if Kate even wants her.

"Marry Castle?" Kate didn't know, they had never talked about it. But then there were a lot of things they hadn't talked about. And now they never would. Marry Castle and gain a daughter.

Kate knew getting involved with Castle that Alexis was part of the package. And Kate enjoyed having Alexis around while Castle was gone, just now he was really gone, and not coming back.

"Marry Castle." Kate mumbled out again. They hadn't talked, not marriage, not children. The children they would now never have together. Children Kate had never even thought about having even after she started dating Castle. Make Castle's only child he would ever have, hers?

Kate needed time to think, she always needed to think things thru. Only this time, time wasn't something she had.

Kate's heart was beyond broken this time and Castle wasn't going to be there to help her put it back together. She didn't have to push him away anymore he was as far out of her life as he could get.

And when she caught who had her mother killed Castle wasn't going to be there when she did. But Alexis could be if she signed these papers.

Alexis, Martha and Castle had been trying to make her feel like a part of their family. A family she didn't have until Castle came along and wouldn't go away, no matter how many times she pushed. If she hadn't pushed so hard would they already be married? Would she already be pregnant or even had a child with him by now?

If she signed Alexis was going to be her child. Children!?

Kate didn't see Steve come back and sit down. She didn't even hear the words Martha and Alexis were telling her, nor did she feel their arms touching or hanging onto her. Kate was lost in what she was thinking.

Kate blinked her eyes and saw Steve sitting across from her. Kate leaned forward took his pen and started signing where indicated with the little yellow tabs. Kate signed everything, then dropped the pen down and leaned back and started laughing and crying at the same time.

It was just too much to comprehend. She was married to Castle, a widow and had a child all with one signature. Ok, to be honest it was a lot of signatures but it was all just so surreal.

Alexis was hanging onto Kate for dear life, she lost her father and gained a mother. A real mother. Not one who only wanted her dad's money and lived on the other side of the country and didn't care about her. Because Kate cared.

"I'll get these processed today and get you your copies for you to keep. … I'll also get you your cards you can use to access the various accounts as soon as I can. …. Congratulations Mrs. Castle." Steve had been praying Kate would sign long before he even came over here.

"I've got one more thing for you Mrs. Castle." Steve pulls out one more sheet of paper. "This has the combination to the safe in Mr. Castle's study. Since the loft and all its contents are yours now, the contents of whatever is in the safe are also yours." Steve actually had no idea what was in the safe. There was no list he had in his possession.

"I'll let myself out. It's been a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Castle. I just wish it was under better circumstances." Steve was going to miss Castle.

Martha started trying to pull Kate up. "Come on Katherine let's get you into the shower. Alexis will fix you something to eat. … My son wouldn't want to see you wasting away like this. He loved you too much to let this happen, and your family now." Martha escorts Kate into the bathroom and turns on the shower and then leaves her.

Kate managed to get undressed and looked at herself in the mirror. She had always been thin, but now she looked like skin and bones and didn't like what she saw. Castle would kill her if he saw her like this.

Kate felt a little better after stepping out of the shower but only just. She was married to Castle, except there was no Castle.

Kate was dressed but only made it as far as the living room where she picked up the paper with the combination to the safe on it.

It wasn't hard to find the safe. Kate didn't think it was meant to be hidden.

The combination worked and it cracked open. What was she going to find inside? What did Castle think needed to be hidden away behind a locked safe?

Kate pulled it open and the first thing she saw was cash. A fair amount of cash. That seemed to be typical of Castle. Kate pulled the cash out and thumbed thru it to guess how much. Maybe $60,000? Maybe.

Setting it on the desk she looked inside again. Next to come out was a gun. It was old and it was a six shooter revolver. However it was in pretty good condition. Kate opened the cylinder and found that is wasn't loaded. It looked to have been cleaned relatively recently. Kate had no doubt that it was functional.

Next to come out was some papers and when she pulled them out something fell to the floor because it had been on top of them.

Kate reached down and picked it up with her free hand and froze. Kate stopped breathing and her heart stopped beating. Everything around her disappeared. All she saw was what was in her hand.

Kate fell into the chair, the papers long since forgotten as they fell to the floor.

Kate started breathing and could feel her heart trying desperately to escape her chest. Tears without the crying started flowing down her cheeks. The hand holding the little black box was shaking and she didn't know what to do with it.

Kate wiped away a few tears so she could see and slowly, ever so slowly started to open the box. Knowing precisely what is in it but so very afraid to look.

It was a ring, and it was gorgeous! Kate started hyperventilating immediately and stared at it with still more tears that she didn't know she had.

Like it was a magnet, somehow Kate pulled it out and set the box on the desk, forgotten.

Holding it in her hand Kate just stared at it. It was an engagement ring! Castle had bought her an engagement ring!

Maybe it wasn't meant to be hers. With shaking hands Kate slid the ring on her finger and found that it fit perfectly. It was hers, Kate knew it was hers. Castle had bought her a ring.

And Castle wasn't here!

Martha came stepping thru the study doors. "Katherine do you, …" But Martha stopped. Kate was sitting in the chair crying heavily, the safe was open and Kate was staring at her finger. At a ring that was on her finger. Then Martha saw the box sitting on the desk.

Martha stepped back out. "Alexis, … Alexis dear." Then Martha stepped back in.

Alexis came running and stopped next to Martha. "Grams?" Wondering what it was about. Then she looked and saw what Martha saw.

Kate, her mother was sitting in dads chair crying while staring at a ring on her finger with a ring box on the desk, open.

"Dad bought her a ring? … He was going to propose?" Even Alexis was now shocked. Her dad was going to ask Kate to marry him, and he hadn't said a word?

Kate was now looking past the ring that she was still holding up and still on her finger. "Ma, … Martha?" Did Martha have an answer?

Martha moved around and bent down to hug Kate. "Martha, he was, … Castle was going to, …" Kate broke down and cried onto Martha's shoulder. Castle was going to propose.


	13. Chapter 13

**CH13**

It was two weeks later after Steve hand come and gone:

Kate, Martha and Alexis were just stepping up to the loft after spending most of that time in the Hamptons. Martha had convinced the two of them that they needed to get away from the city. Spend some leisurely time at the beach, and do some window shopping in town.

Steve had arrived with all their cards linked to their various accounts when they had left. Since all three were going and Martha had thought Kate was far too thin and still hurting that they used a car service to get there and back instead of driving themselves.

Martha thought it was just what they all needed. Kate was gaining weight and looked more like herself. Alexis was chipper and had practically never left Kate's side the entire time.

Kate and Alexis had walked the beach each evening and even been out running on the beach for the last 3 or 4 days, coming back tired and sweaty.

Kate had insisted of cooking all their meals. If Castle could cook so could she, plus it made them feel like a family.

Kate had never seen the house in the Hamptons before and had her jaw on the floor from the time they parked out front to the time Martha had finished the tour by going out back. Looking directly out onto the ocean.

Kate hadn't brought nearly enough clothes to last the entire trip so a mandatory shopping trip was needed, and Kate was introduced to all the shops Martha could drag her into.

Martha and Alexis already had clothes in the home so they hadn't brought much with them, and lot of what Kate bought had remained behind for the next trip.

"It may be in my name Katherine, but this is your home too." And Martha handed over a key so Kate could get in anytime she liked.

Kate had asked if they made homemade ice cream or did they always buy it at the store?

"Dad always bought it. There is this little store in town that makes it." Alexis had responded wondering what Kate was up to.

"Well we are going to fix that right now." And Kate had dragged Alexis into town to buy an ice cream maker. Actually Kate bought two. One was this little Quisinart unit and a much larger 6-quart electric unit.

Since the Quisinart unit needed the drum to be frozen first, they came home with bags of ice and rock salt to make ice cream using the bigger unit.

Kate then proceeded to demonstrate how ice cream was made in the Beckett family home when she was a kid. Naturally they come home with ingredients to make ice cream with.

Sitting out back in swimsuits listening to the waves of the ocean eating homemade ice cream.

Kate had no memories of being in the Hamptons with Castle so it didn't hurt as much here. Alexis however had lots of memories as did Martha. Which is why both of them were excited to learn some Beckett family traditions.

And Alexis wasn't letting go of Kate anytime soon. Kate had signed the adoption papers making her Kate's daughter. Alexis had lost a father and gained a mother. In terms of years of loving someone it wasn't the same, but Kate was almost all Alexis had now.

Kate felt Alexis at her side the entire trip and she relished having Alexis there. Kate's heart was hurting and the only thing holding it together was her feeling for Alexis that she had developed while dating Castle and spending all that time with him in the loft.

The three of them were a happy group as Alexis put the key in the lock to unlock the door. As they all stepped inside. "There you are! Where have you been darling?"

Some red headed pale and thin lady came off of the sofa and walked right past Kate to wrap her arms around Alexis who was suddenly ram rod straight.

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you." Meredith tells Alexis after letting go.

Shocked and not sure what to do. "Mom, what are you doing here?" Alexis wanted her mother here like she wanted her father to die again.

"Your father is gone dear and I came home to take care of you." Meredith tells them like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"WHAT?" Alexis was even more shocked now, and slipped in behind Kate to get some distance and a barrier between them.

"Alexis?" Meredith didn't understand this reaction. She was her mother.

Alexis didn't like this turn of events even a little but didn't have the nerve to stand up to her mother, so Alexis did the next best thing. She yanked on Kate's top a couple of times. Kate was a cop and her mother now. "Get me out of this!" was the unspoken message.

"That's very thoughtful of you Meredith." Kate guesses who it is based on the reaction she was getting. "However your help is not needed, we will be fine without you." Kate tries to be nice for Alexis's sake.

"And just who the hell are you?" Meredith glares at Kate.

Kate however is unaffected. She has stared down the barrel of a gun pointed at her head.

"If you must know I'm Castle's wife and Alexis is my daughter." Kate fights back.

"WHAT?" Meredith had been expecting some bimbo that had latched onto Richard to get to his money instead of her. And when did Rickey get married? It wasn't in the papers.

Then the other half registered. "DAUGHTER? … I'm her mother. How dare you think you can take my child away from me." And my access to Rickey's money.

"I married Castle before his untimely accident in Chicago and I signed the adoption papers his lawyer provided. So yes, Alexis is mine now. And your help is not needed nor wanted." Kate glares at Meredith.

Meredith's mind starts to stutter. Papers, married. One card left to play. "I'm calling the police." And Meredith strode for the phone.

"Kate is the police Meredith." Martha enters the conversation. "And since Katherine owns this place now and has indicated that she doesn't need or want your help raising her daughter, I think it's time for you to leave." Martha offers, since she has no like of Meredith. How Meredith has treated Alexis, whom she loves very much only makes her hate her more.

Meredith stops and turns around to look at Kate and sum her up as an opponent. Meredith knows Martha wouldn't lie; it's not in her nature and the fact that Kate hasn't backed down and is staring at her, only solidifies the point.

"FINE." And Meredith marches into the master bedroom and comes out with her suitcase and carry-on a little later.

"I'll be back and with my lawyer." Meredith announces.

"How did you get in here in the first place?" Kate asks. Thinking of the building security.

"She has a key mom." Alexis answers still standing behind Kate.

For Martha the look on Meredith's face when Alexis called Kate mom was PRICELESS. Katherine was more than a match for Meredith.

Kate moved to the front door blocking it and held out her hand.

Meredith relented and fished out her key and handed it over, then Kate opened the door to let Meredith thru.

After Meredith was out. "I'll be right back." And Kate followed Meredith to the elevator.

They both stood ram rod straight, neither of them saying a word. As soon as Meredith was out of the building Kate turned to the doorman. "Don't EVER let that woman in this building again." Kate instructs.

"Yes ma'am." Is the reply Kate gets, while Kate glares at Meredith as she gets in a taxi and leaves.

Meredith's problem was she didn't have much money. Not enough to get a hotel, or hire a lawyer to get her daughter back. But she only needed her daughter to get to Ricky's money. And with Ricky gone meant no more money. "Airport please."

Meredith had her return ticket. She would need to use stand-by to get home this early. At least she still had the house in Bel-Air that she didn't pay a dime for to stay there.

Kate went back upstairs and found Martha and Alexis in the kitchen. Seems Meredith had eaten them out of house and home. "How long was she here anyway?" Kate saw the huge mess Meredith had left behind.

Kate however didn't wait for an answer. She pulled out her phone to have someone come and change all the locks and have him install a second dead bolt accessed only from the inside. Then she called a security company to have a security system installed. If Meredith could get in, so could someone else. And losing Alexis was not an option. Not anymore.

"That woman has eaten us out of house and home." Martha moans as she surveys the damage to the refrigerator and the pantry. "And not a delivery carton or box in sight."

"I'll finish cleaning if you want to go shopping." Alexis offers. Kate wouldn't be gone long and they needed the food after what her mom had done.

"I'll get my bag." Martha tells them and meets Kate at the front door.

"Lock the door and don't let anyone in pumpkin." Kate calls out and exits out the door. Kate never picked up on her use of the term of endearment that Castle always used. However Martha had and kept an eye on Katherine all the way down the elevator.

Since they were going shopping Kate got out the key for the Mercedes. Kate looked longingly at the Ferrari parked right next to it. It however just didn't have the space for groceries and two people.

At the store they each took a cart and split up. Martha went for the dry good while Kate went for all the perishables and frozen items. Kate also knew she needed some feminine products also.

Kate had all of the produce they would need for several days and had finished with the frozen items, which wasn't much.

Kate had stopped in front of one section searching for what she wanted, not used to this store.

"Kate, what are these?" A voice asked Kate.

"Those are pregnancy test sticks Castle, you know that." Kate automatically responded.

"CASTLE?" Kate whipped her head around, and then back around to look quickly. Kate instantly abandoned her cart and started searching the immediate area looking down every aisle she came to. "Castle?"

All Kate saw were other shoppers and Martha pulling an occasional item off a shelf.

Kate made it back to her cart and with tears in her eyes started pulling what she wanted off the shelves. Maybe it was too soon to be back from the Hamptons. She was hearing Castle's voice.

Kate beat Martha to the checkout so she paid for everything. Between Castle's money and her own she thought she should be paying for everything.

'Is this what Castle thought when he paid for everything? Or was it the gentlemanly thing to do?'

Martha was out the door with her cart full of bags. "It's because I love you." A voice tells Kate.

Kate whips her head around, but all she sees is the lady at the checkout counter. "Castle?"

Kate pulls up behind Martha and pushes the button to open the trunk. "Are you alright Katherine?" Martha can see tears.

Kate sniffles and wipes away the tears. "Fine Martha, I'm fine." Kate lies since she is still anything but fine. Especially now that she is hearing voices.

Martha doesn't believe a word but decides not to press Katherine about it. They are all still hurting and to top it off Meredith decided to show up. That woman had the worst timing.

Martha was still wondering why she came at all. The last thing that woman cared about was Alexis or her son.

It took a number of trips up in the elevator to get it all out of the car and onto the kitchen counters. After the first trip Alexis had gone with them to help.

Now came the fun part, finding someplace to put it all.

"OH!, … I didn't buy any ice cream and we left the makers in the Hamptons." Kate moans. Reminding Alexis of her father.

"You can buy new makers here. Besides after having your homemade ice cream I don't want anything else." Alexis perks up after thinking of her dad.

"You're right, maybe we can go out after dinner." Kate offers. Knowing they will also need the fixings for homemade ice cream too.

Martha was kinda helping. Mostly she was pulling things out of the bags and setting them on the counter for the other two to put away.

Then Martha pulls out three things clustered together that she wasn't expecting. "Katherine, what did you buy these for? …. Are you trying to tell us something?" Martha was holding up not one but three pregnancy test strip boxes.

"I didn't buy those." Kate answers after having turned to look. "Honest I didn't even know they were in there." Kate didn't even want to touch them.

"I'm not pregnant." Kate tells them. "I'm telling you, I'm not pregnant." Kate was sure she wasn't. Then she started trying to remember back to when she had, had her last period.

"Well don't look at me." Alexis offers up. Alexis knew what it took to make a baby and she definitely wasn't pregnant.

Martha knew it wasn't her who bought them. Besides she hadn't actually paid for any of it, Even if a lot of it was something she had put in her cart.

"FINE! … "I'll prove it." And Kate snatches one of them out of Martha's hand and strides for the on-suite to use the stupid thing.

Martha went back to taking things of the bags letting Alexis figure out where it went. They were almost done putting everything away while Martha folded up the bags for recycle.

Kate came running back into the kitchen and snapped up the remaining two pregnancy test strips boxes and ran back for the on-suite, without saying a word.

Martha and Alexis had watched her do it but didn't say a word. They still didn't need to start cooking for about an hour, so Martha opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass. While Alexis pulled out a bottled water.

It was at least half an hour and Katherine still hadn't returned Martha noted, so she headed for the bedroom and the bathroom beyond.

Finding the door closed, Martha knocked and opened the door. Inside she found Katherine sitting on the floor up against the tub with her knees in her chest and her arms wrapped around them and crying.

Martha's heart instantly broke yet again. Katherine's heart couldn't take much more of this. Katherine was only just starting to be the Katherine of old when they were in the Hamptons.

Martha saw the test strips sitting on the counter next to the water closet.

Martha stepped over and looked at them listening to Katherine cry. They all showed a plus marking. Katherine was pregnant.

Katherine was pregnant! It could only have been Richard, Katherine wouldn't have been with anyone else.

Martha moved over and got down to look at Katherine and took hold of both of her arms.

Kate looked up and the crying slowed but the tears didn't. "I'm pregnant Martha. … I'm pregnant with Castle's child, and, …. there's, …. no, ….. Castle!" And the crying increased.


	14. Chapter 14

**CH14**

"Katherine, that's wonderful! You have a piece of Richard that you get to keep for the rest of your life. Maybe he'll have Richard's eyes and you'll get to see him in your child's eyes every day.

You'll get to remember Richard every day and how much you loved him, and get to convey all that love to your child. Teach him or her all you know, ….. and we have pictures.

And we'll all be here for you dear; you should know that by now. Plus you'll have built-in baby sitters. Your friend Lanie will keep him or her healthy and your detective friends at work will protect him from harm.

You are definitely not alone in this Katherine. Not anymore." Martha prayed she was reaching her, thru all the pain she had been forced to go thru.

Kate's crying slowed and she wiped away some of her own tears and looked at Martha. She had a piece of Castle. Maybe Castle wasn't completely gone. But was it enough?

"Come on dear, let's get you cleaned up. We need to start dinner, you're eating for two now." Martha helped Kate to stand and walked her over to the lavatory.

"I'll have Alexis get dinner started and you can help her finish." Martha pats Kate and snatches up the pregnancy test sticks and retreats from the bathroom.

Kate had finished washing and was just putting the towel back on the bar and was looking into the mirror. "Castle will never get to see his child." And suddenly Kate's tears were back in full force.

"He'll be beautiful Kate." A voice tells her.

"CASTLE?" Kate whips her head around and runs out into the bedroom. Then walks to the open door leading to the living room and looks out, and then returns to the bathroom.

"Great! I'm pregnant and losing my mind." Kate couldn't bear to look at herself in the mirror, she was a mess. And just as she starts to re-wash the tears away. "MOM"S PREGNANT!" Filters its way into the bathroom from the kitchen.

Kate had just finished drying her face again when suddenly Alexis slams into her from behind and wraps her arms around her waist. "You're going to have dad's baby?" Alexis sounded happy.

"I swear mom, I'll help you. I'll be the best big sister anyone has ever had. … He, .. or she is going to be the most loved child on this planet. … I swear." Alexis squeezed Kate tight.

Kate did her best to twist herself around, which wasn't easy considering the hold Alexis had on her. When she finally succeeded Kate wrapped her arms around Alexis and squeezed too.

A few minutes later. "Come on, let's fix dinner. Both of us are hungry." Kate tells Alexis.

Alexis releases her hold on Kate and grins and nods her head.

As they walk hand in hand to the kitchen. "We eat healthy from now on. I catch you eating take-out and I'll have Lanie slap you silly." Alexis warns Kate. Getting Kate to laugh. Something that she hadn't done for some time lately.

'I need to tell Lanie.' Suddenly being pregnant had its own set of problems. What was Lanie going to do? Shoot that was a stupid question. "I better buy ear plugs before I tell Lanie."

"Lanie is going to be so happy for you." Alexis had heard that and knew exactly what Lanie was going to do.

"Did I just say that out loud?" Kate really was losing it. Getting Alexis to nod her head.

Kate and Alexis were just returning from a quick shopping trip. Alexis had the Quisinart and Kate had the box with the 6-quart electric ice cream maker. Alexis put her box on the counter and ran back downstairs for the car to get the ice cream fixings.

Kate being pregnant was cause for celebration. They had plans to make ice cream that night using the big 6-quart unit.

Dinner had been about going shopping for nursery furniture, a rocker for Kate to sit in. Changing table, diapers, breast pump, baby wipes, bottles, baby monitor, lotion, baby powder, baby clothes, ….

"Good thing I'm rich, this is going to cost a fortune." Kate hadn't really thought about what it took to raise a baby.

"And a car seat and a baby carrier and a burping bib and a, …." Alexis was on a role and didn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.

"Whoa, slow down. How about we make a doctor's appointment to confirm I'm pregnant first, and then go on a shopping spree." Kate needed it to slow down. It was too much too fast.

Ice cream was done and put away all except for the two bowls that Kate and Alexis had while sitting on the sofa next to each other while watching a movie. Martha had excused herself and gone to her room.

Kate made an appointment for a pregnancy test in two days' time and had decided to go back to work the day after taking Alexis down to PP1 to meet with Steve, Castle's lawyer to go over the paperwork for Alexis to work with Lanie for the next year, with a salary.

Kate was getting better and was hoping that going back to work would bring things back to normal. At least a little.

The day before her doctor's appointment Kate was getting bored. Alexis had found Kate sitting at the breakfast bar nursing a tea and picking at a bowl of fruit. Health food and it was driving Kate nuts. What she wanted was an artery hardening big fat juicy (meaning greasy) burger and fries.

"Laser tag?" Alexis offered looking at Kate mindlessly doing nothing.

"Sounds like a plan." Kate was willing.

Alexis retrieved the vests and guns while Kate pulled the blinds to make it darker. Since the sun was out it wasn't going to get that dark inside.

They were all suited up and had tested the system and were now standing in front of each other.

They both had on a very serious face, the other was going down! With a nod they ran for opposite ends of the loft.

"You are going to join our ancestors today Wednesday." Kate calls out.

"You first Morticia." Alexis countered.

Castle had introduced Kate to laser tag early on. Actually Kate had seen Castle and Alexis playing earlier when she came for a visit one day. Long before she had fallen in love with Castle. Though if Kate was truthful to herself she might have been falling in love with him even then.

There were even times when Kate and Alexis had played without Castle. Though those days were few in number. Kate and Alexis had mutually decided on names from the Adams Family. They had only once convinced Castle to be Gomez.

Castle wanted to rule the universe. Gomez didn't sound sinister enough to him.

It took a number of shots, along with a few body rolls but Alexis's vest was finally lite up like a Christmas tree. "Gotcha!" Kate called out in victory.

"How did you do that? Even dad couldn't make that shot." Alexis whined like her father did when he lost.

"That's because I'm a cop." Kate states proudly.

"Best two out of three?" Alexis offers and promptly shoots Kate and runs off.

Kate and Alexis were sitting in the doctor's office, waiting. Kate didn't know they were going to find out today, but hopefully something.

A young woman not much older than Alexis opened a door. "Mrs. Castle?" Kate and Alexis followed her.

This very young lady took Kate's weight, took her blood pressure and counted out her heart rate. Then started asking a bunch of questions about medications she was taking. Did she smoke or drink? How often?

"The doctor will be in to see you shortly." And she left.

Shortly turned out to be 30 minutes, placing her actual visit one hour behind the time scheduled.

The doctor went over everything the young lady had already done, which Kate took as a waste of time.

"You want a pregnancy test. Have you done any of the home tests using a urine sample?"

"Three actually, all different manufacturer's." Kate tells her.

"And I presume you got a positive result which is why you are here."

"Yes." Kate answers.

"I take it this is your daughter so this would be your second child?"

"Alexis is adopted, she is the daughter of my deceased husband. This will be my first child." Kate hated being reminded that Castle was gone.

Alexis however took Kate's hand and squeezed. She didn't like being reminded her father was gone either.

"We'll take a blood sample from you on the way out. We should have the lab results back in a couple of days. Do you have any idea how far along you may be?"

Kate really didn't, she was kinda hoping the doctor could tell her. "Three weeks minimum, maybe a little more." Chicago was about 3 weeks ago give or take.

"That is soon enough to get a false positive on your home pregnancy tests, however since you used three different brands it's not likely.

I'm going to send in the ultrasound machine. If you are only 3 weeks along it is not likely we will see anything, however if you are say 7 to 9 weeks along we can possible even give you a date."

Sounded good to Kate.

A different lady wheeled in the device and plugged it in. "Lay down for me and lift your shirt."

"This is going to be cold, and I'm sorry, it's just the way it works." Kate did flinch a little.

While the lady shoves the wand she is holding around pushing deep into Kate's stomach area.

All Kate and Alexis saw was what looked like snow. "I think this is your baby." And she points to the monitor. The image changes as she moves the wand. "See this speck here? It's really hard to make out and I've done a lot of these." She shoves the wand around a little more.

Then lifts it and hands Kate some wipes. "You can use these to clean up the gel. …. I'd say you are 3 maybe 4 weeks in at most. Really too early to see anything. Certainly not enough to tell you the sex. That will be weeks from now. I'd print out some pictures but there really isn't anything to see.

We can try this again in about a month and I can probably show you something then and give you some pictures to take home with you.

I think the doctor wanted a blood sample from you for testing." And escorts Kate and Alexis out and over to the grey chair for the blood draw.

The really young lady comes back. "We are getting some blood for a pregnancy test I'm told."

"Yes." Kate kept it simple.

The young lady took the blood and it was relatively painless. "We also want a urine sample. You'll find cups and a marker in the restroom around the corner. After you have tagged the cup place it behind the little door and you can check out, out front."

Kate and Alexis were gone soon after. "How about we celebrate?" Kate offers. Getting a nod and a smile from Alexis.

Kate and Alexis are standing outside a place that specializes in burgers. "KATE?" Alexis knew this was not healthy.

"Oh come on Alexis! PLEASE? The baby is half Castle and you know how much he loved cheese burgers. Just one? It won't kill me." _Oh my god she was whining like Castle did. That man has contaminated me. And knocked me up._

Kate had her burger, fries and a shake while Alexis had found the most healthy item on the menu, which wasn't easy.

Kate had just taken her first bite and had grease dripping down onto her fries and had it dripping down her chin. "Hhhhmmmm!" Kate was loving it after all the good for you food Alexis had her eating lately. The hot dogs she had at the stadium were the closest thing to being bad for you she had, had lately.

"Now what?" Kate asks Alexis.

"Baby store? …. We don't have to buy anything, but if we look it might help you figure out what you like." Alexis offers. Problem was she didn't have her father's credit card anymore and couldn't buy things for Kate like she wanted to.

Alexis looked up the closest baby store using her phone. "Can I help you?"

"Can we just look?" Kate asks.

"Of course, let me know if you have questions." And the sales lady backs off.

"Hey Kate how about this one it looks nice." Alexis pointed out a crib she had found.

Kate shook her head and made a face. "Nice shape I guess, but its way too dark. It's not a prison."

"That style is available in a number of colors and wood types. This one just happens to be a dark mahogany." The sales lady offers from where she is standing still far away. "The pad also comes in a number patterns and solid colors."

It gave Kate an idea, but they moved on. Moving to another section they found bottles and bags. Next to them were breast pumps.

"Breast feeding provides nutrients that baby formulas can't duplicate, plus it helps you lose the baby weight you gained and it helps a mother bond with her child." The sales lady offers.

They move to another section. This one has strollers and cars seats. Alexis starts pushing a big unit with double wheels at all four locations while Kate picks up a small car seat.

"You only need a stroller about the time they are ready to crawl. As for car seats, you want one that installs easy. If it is too complicated to use, you won't." The sales lady offers.

Across from the bottles and other supplies they came across tubs. "Some mothers like the idea of using them. They fear they will drown their baby by accident it they use a tub, while others have to use them because they have no tub. Plus it helps with their back, so they don't have to bend over a tub." The sales lady offers.

"The tub in the on-suite is huge, it's one of the things I like about it." Kate comments.

"You are likely going to want one then." The sales lady offers. "At least for the first few months after birth. …. When are you due?" The sales lady asks not seeing any bump, and noticed that Kate was thin.

"About 8 months give or take." Kate responds still barely sure she is pregnant with Castle's child.

"You'll do fine dear. Every mother glows with that certain pride that she's having a baby, and when you see him or her for the first time, you're in love. For the rest of your life. … You and your husband will do fine." She did however notice that Kate was wearing a ring.

Kate lifted up her hand to look at her ring. Yeah, she was married and her child would have its father.

"Ready to go Kate?" Alexis walked up and took Kate's arm, snapping Kate out of what she was thinking.

"Come back when you are further along and I would like to help you." The sales lady offers,

"Thanks." Kate lets Alexis take her away and back home. Tomorrow was a work day. The first one in almost 3 weeks.

The sales lady watched them go. She had seen the haunted look in Kate's face just after she mentioned her husband. Something was wrong, just not sure what. "Hopefully she'll be back. She looked like she could use the help."

Kate cooked dinner again and continued to teach Alexis everything she knew.

Alexis had missed the last of her school year and a talk with the school board had shown it was too late now to make it up. Schools were closed and the teachers were all on summer vacation. The only option she had open to her was summer classes to make up the time.

And Alexis was going to do it. Her father had left her money just for college and she was keeping her dream of college early. But with him gone she started to re-think where she was going to go.

She found she hated the idea of leaving Kate. Kate was all she had now and wanted to spend as much time with her as she could.

Kate dropped Alexis off at 1PP and watched her meet up with Steve so they could go over Alexis being hired. It was all Alexis had talked about on the car ride. Alexis was so looking forward to this. Kate thought she sounded excited about it.

"How are you going to handle working and your summer school?" Kate was curious what Alexis was thinking. Not really thinking like a parent just yet or she would be worried Alexis was taking too much on.

"It's only 2 classes twice a week, it'll be easy. It won't interfere with my work. …. I can do this." Alexis couldn't let Kate find an excuse for Alexis not to work next to Kate, or at least as close as she could get.

Kate stared at her for a minute. "Ok, but if your grades suffer you're sticking to school work. Deal?" Kate kinda wanted her there too. Castle gave her something to look forward to with her job, she was hoping that having Alexis there would fill that void.

Since she had to wait for 1PP to be open Kate was arriving a little later than normal for her.

The second Kate stepped off the elevator she was greeted by everyone she met on the floor making her way to her desk.

"Beckett, you're looking good." Espo had spotted her while Ryan stepped out of the break room with coffee in his hand. "Beckett, how are you feeling?" Both were happy to see her.

"Hi guys, I'm doing fine. Two weeks in the Hamptons turned out to be a good idea." Kate was feeling better.

"You sure three weeks are long enough. Castle's funeral is in a couple of days." Espo was still worried about her. His mind still saw her curled up on the bed shut off from the rest of the world.

"I need to work Javi, sitting at home doing nothing is driving me insane. …. Have we got a case?" Kate drops her bag at her desk but there was something changed. It felt wrong, really wrong.

Before Espo could answer her question. "Where is Castle's chair?" It was missing, that's what was wrong about her space.

"WHERE THE HELL IS CASTLE'S CHAIR?" Kate yells out loud enough that the third floor could have heard her.

"Beckett." Espo started to try and explain.

"I'm going to go down the street to get some coffee. Castle's chair better be here when I get back or someone dies. … DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?" Kate stormed off to the elevator and all but broke the down button hitting it so hard.

The second the elevator door closed the fourth floor looked like a version of Keystone Kops; The term has since come to be used to criticize any group for its mistakes, particularly if the mistakes happened after a great deal of energy and activity, or if there was a lack of coordination among the members of the group.

Everyone was going everywhere trying to find the right chair with Espo and Ryan rejecting various chairs for being the wrong one.


	15. Chapter 15

**CH15**

Back under the knife tomorrow since Lasik didn't work out very well the first time. The next update may be in a few days.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kate had her tea, since coffee wasn't an option anymore and decided to go downstairs to see Lanie, plus it gave them more time to find Castle's chair. Because if his chair was permanently gone she didn't know what she was going to do.

The possibility of it not being there when she went back upstairs was too much to consider. Actually shoot someone? Break everything that was breakable? Including who's ever bones she could get her hands on. Maybe quit her job and do what?

Kate pushed the door open and went inside. "Lanie?" Kate called out since she didn't see her. There wasn't a body on any of the tables, so she must be out somewhere.

Had she taken the day off and Kate's timing was just bad? It would be just her luck, if she didn't have bad luck she wouldn't have any luck at all.

With tea in hand she started wandering around seeing what had changed in three weeks.

Everything seemed to look the same. Various pieces of equipment that Kate was sure only Lanie or maybe now Alexis knew anything about.

Lanie's tiny excuse of an office that was mostly filing cabinets and one whole wall of drawers used to store bodies before or usually after Lanie had worked on them.

Kate mindlessly started running her fingers over the names, some of which she knew but most she didn't. Maybe they were new. She had been gone 3 weeks after all in a city that never did seem to sleep or stop killing each other in.

Then she ran across a drawer that didn't have a name but did have a case number that she recognized. It was the lady from her cold case before her trip to Chicago. Guess they still didn't know who she was.

Then her fingers came across a name that had her frozen in her tracks. Kate lost control of her coffee cup and it hit the floor, opened and spill tea everywhere.

Kate ran her fingers over the name and the tears she was convinced that she didn't have any more of started flowing. Her lowers lip started to quiver, breathing came in spasms and Kate's crying soon followed.

Kate ran her hands over the door, she hadn't been expecting this. He was still here.

Kate's legs couldn't keep her up any longer and she slumped to the floor twisting as she did. With her back to the doors she drew her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them and squeezed.

Lanie was out at a body drop early that morning. Espo and Ryan were not involved in this one. The night crew had responded to it.

Lanie was escorting the guys who were moving the body off the truck and into her room and onto one of the tables.

As she pushed the doors open Lanie could hear someone crying. Looking around she saw Kate huddled on the floor up against the cooler doors.

Lanie dropped everything on the floor and ran for her friend. "Kate?" Not getting a reaction. "KATE!" Lanie tried a little louder.

"Dr. Parrish?" Lanie heard voices behind her. It was the guys with her next body needing her attention.

"Get out." Lanie tells them. But she notices they aren't moving. "I SAID GET OUT! … NOW!" That got their attention and they scrambled out of the room.

Lanie turned back to Kate. Lanie took her arms. "Kate?" Lanie whispers hoping the change of voice would help.

Getting nothing Lanie noticed Kate was sitting in spilled tea that was all over the floor. Then she looked up the drawers. "OH GOD!"

The cemetery was supposed to pick up Castle's body today but obviously they hadn't gotten here yet. One of the drawers directly above Kate had the name CASTLE on it.

"Oh Kate honey." If Kate had made it here she must have been making progress in recovering, she didn't need this.

Lanie pulled out her phone and had Ryan and Espo down here in seconds. "Help me get her home."

They had Kate in a car and back to the loft in minutes.

Martha answered the door only to find Espo and Ryan carrying Kate again. "OH NO! The bedroom is this way." Martha tells them.

The guys knew where the room was but Martha went with them anyway. "What happened?" Martha looks at Lanie.

Lanie could only tell her what little she knew, where she found her and how.

"Alexis is at 1PP with our lawyer, can you go there and bring her home?" Martha asks.

Espo and Ryan tell Martha they can do that and leave just as sad as all the other times they had left the loft lately.

"I'm going to give her something that will force her to sleep." Lanie pulls out her bag and gives Kate and injection that soon has her quiet.

"I really need to get back to work Martha. We got a new case and I have to get back, but I'll be over after work." Lanie is forced to tell her.

"Thank you Dr. Parrish, Alexis and I will watch over her." Martha lets Lanie find her own way out.

"Katherine?" Martha strokes her hair. "How much more do you think she can take?" Martha asks the ceiling. "She's pregnant." Martha pleads to the ceiling.

It's early here but it's late somewhere and Martha decides it's time for a glass of wine.

Martha was about half way thru her glass when Alexis came running thru the door. "GRAMS?" Alexis calls out.

Martha had stood up and now she and Alexis had their arms around each other. "Why Grams?" Meaning why they were selected for all this pain. Except Martha didn't have an answer.

Alexis let go of Martha and strode for the master bedroom figuring that's where Kate would be. Where she found Kate still in her clothes lying on the bed, sleeping. Espo and Ryan had already explained to her what they knew on the drive out here.

Alexis considered removing Kate's clothes for her but she settled for taking her boots off, then took her own shoes off and climbed into bed and curled up with Kate. They were both back to square one, three weeks later.

Alexis was almost asleep. "Don't give up, I love you. Both of you." A broken voice spoke.

Kate in her sleep mumbled out. "Castle?" In response.

While Alexis mumbled out. "Dad?' In response.

Lanie came by after work and found Kate and Alexis wrapped up in each other yet again.

Lanie stayed to eat dinner which was take-out that was delivered with Martha.

"I don't understand, Katherine was doing so much better and the funeral is the day after tomorrow. … How is Katherine, or either of them going to recover in time to attend? And not having either of them be able to be there. ….'" Martha trails off.

The pain of attending was going to be bad, but the pain of not attending and not having a second chance at it sounded even worse.

"Just let them sleep. The boys and I will be bye to get you. We'll all go together." Lanie offers.

Martha was shaking her head. "After two marriages that he should never had done in the first place, Richard finally found someone and Katherine made him a better man. He was happy in a way I hadn't seen him like for a long time. … And now this.

I'm burying my son." Martha was showing a crack in her armor.

"They were perfect for each other. Kate's heart was so fractured after her mother's death. She walled it up to try and protect it. Castle managed to find a way thru all those walls. …. Kate was alive again instead of just existing. And your son is responsible for that.

She loved Castle. I've never seen her so happy. He really was perfect for her. In spite of it all I'm glad she came around. …. I don't think I want to know what would happen to her walls if Castle had died before she could tell him she loved him." Lanie was at least thankful for one small thing.

"I was really hoping the baby would snap Kate out of it and bring her back to us." Martha comments absent mindedly.

"BABY! … Wait, Kate is pregnant?" Lanie didn't know this and is shocked.

"You didn't know?" Martha asks getting Lanie to shake her head.

"Katherine is about 3 maybe 4 weeks pregnant with Richard's child. We only found out a couple of days ago. We're even waiting for the blood test results to confirm what the home pregnancy tests told us." Martha spills what's left of the beans.

"Kate is going to have Castle's baby." Lanie would cry if it wasn't so, so, …. "We need to find a way for her to come back to us. Maybe the baby is just what we need." Lanie finally thought she had something to work with, finally.

"Anyone else know?" Lanie needed to know who knew.

Martha shook her head. "Just me, Alexis and her doctor, till now."

Lanie started to formulate a plan to get Kate back on her feet, for good this time. But it wasn't going to work until after the funeral. They all had to get past Castle being gone first, which was not going to be easy.

The funeral for Castle was massive! The entire cemetery was filled to overflowing.

The 78th Fraser Highlanders from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Pipe Major Bill Livingstone, Drum Sergeant Drew Duthart (son of Scottish drumming legend Alex Duthart, and a legendary drummer in his own right, achieving every drum corps prize possible between the ages of 14 and 19 and winning the World's Juvenile Solo Drumming Championship).

Founded in 1982, over the 16 times it has traveled to and competed in the premier Grade 1 at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, the 78th have been in the prize list 12 times, and in 1987 the 78th became the first non-Scottish band to win the top award.

The funeral was to be telecast to the video screen in Yankee Stadium, the New York Rangers and New York Islanders hockey stadiums. Tickets were sold on-line at $2 each for each stadium with all proceeds to go to the Johanna Beckett starting lawyer fund. Each location was sold out in under 30 minutes.

It was a way to keep from having the cemetery from being overrun with mourners.

Half of the NYPD in dress blues was in attendance as was the Mayor of New York. The 12th precinct was running a skeleton crew while the funeral was being broadcast and viewable on TV's at the precinct.

The sitting Senator for the State of New York, one William H. Bracken had sent his condolences but had decided not to attend, citing conflicting events at the same time.

In addition there were 7 Marines armed with an M-16A2 along with a 4 man Marine color guard. Compliments of General John M. Paxton, Jr...

It was Roy who had pulled a few strings and called in a couple of favors to have the Marines as part of the funeral.

Captain Roy Montgomery had spoken for everyone indicating the work and selfless acts Castle had done in the service of the NYPD without pay or medical benefits in the face of danger, day in and day out.

This was followed by the firing squad and its gun salute with the The 78th Fraser Highlanders bag pipe band playing in the background.

Martha Rodgers was presented the American flag properly folded and presented by John M. Paxton, Jr., United States Marine Corps four-star general officer. Another favor pulled in by Roy, who just happened to be a Richard Castle fan.

His guilt about what had happened years ago was still getting to him. Watching Kate lose Castle caused him to pull out all the stops he could come up with.

The next problem was how to make it up to Kate directly without getting his family killed.

Roy, Kate, Martha, Alexis, Espo, Ryan and Lanie had all stayed late after most everyone had gone.

The hole was still open and the casket could still be viewed. Espo and Ryan were holding up Beckett (they still didn't know she had married Castle, only Martha and Alexis knew that still).

"I love you Castle! I'll always love you. ... Always." Kate tells him and is escorted to the waiting cars to go home.

When they reach the loft they find someone outside waiting for them. "DAD?" Kate is shocked.

Espo, Ryan and Lanie excused themselves and let Kate, Alexis and Martha go upstairs with Jim. This was obviously a family matter that didn't involve them.

Once inside. "Hi dad." Kate knew she might be in trouble but Kate and her dad had only just started talking agin. "How did you know to come here?" Martha and Alexis had retreated to the kitchen while Kate and Jim were in the living room.

"I called the precinct since I wanted to try and talk to you. They told me you were at a funeral, then they told me for who. So I looked up where he lives and ended up out front. The doorman wouldn't let me in, so I decided to wait." Jim explains.

"Castle, yeah." Kate sounded sad to Jim, hurting even. She looked like she did after Johanna died.

"Castle is, ... was my husband dad. One day before he died. In Chicago." Kate wasn't crying but she just came from his funeral so the tears had already started.

"And you loved him." Jim was hoping she had, he thinks.

Kate's lower lip started to quiver. "More than anything dad, ... more than anything."

"I'm sorry Katie." Jim reaches out to Katie who moves in to cry on her father's shoulder.

Jim may have been missing from her life for some time, but he was still her father no matter how bad of a one he had been lately.

"You weren't at your apartment." Jim comments after Katie had calmed down a little.

Kate shakes her head. "This is home now. Has been for a few months now."

Then Kate's phone rings. Kate debates answering it but the look on Jim's face suggests that she should.

"Castle." Kate answers her phone. The name sounds weird to her, calling herself Castle when Castle, is Castle, not her.

"Yes." Kate answers.

"Thank you." Kate hangs up and Jim sees a haunted look on her face. Whatever it was, it was big.

Without saying a word to Jim, Kate stands and walks into the kitchen. Jim can't hear anything they say but he can see what happens.

Kate enters the kitchen and tells Martha and Alexis something and then suddenly they are both happy and hugging Kate and talking to her excitedly.

Jim is a private person but he is also curious and it is his daughter, so he stands and approaches the kitchen.

"Katie?" Jim asks keeping a little distance.

Kate looks at Martha and Alexis before she makes a decision. Kate was going to have to tell him eventually. In a few months she won't be able to hide it any longer.

Kate nods at them and turns to Jim. "That was my doctor with my blood test results." Kate pauses still not happy with telling people, even if it is her father. "I'm pregnant. ... It's Castle's."

Jim isn't sure what to say. His Katie got married without him getting to walk her down the aisle, then that her husband is dead, and now she's pregnant with her dead husband's child.

"Please tell me you're keeping it." Life was life as far as Jim in concerned. And it was a piece of her husband. All she had left of him, except memories.

"Of course dad! My god did you really think?" Kate thought a lot of things about her dad. She had gone thru a lot with him while he was drunk and vomiting all over himself. Forced her to become an adult at the age of 19. But this was too much.

"I think it's time for you to leave dad. My god!" Kate ran for the master bedroom, with Alexis hot on her heels after giving Jim a "I hope you drop dead" look.

"I didn't mean, ... that's not what I meant. I just, ..." Jim is interrupted by Martha.

"Katherine told me what happened to her after her mother died, ... and you. ... I think it's time for you to leave Mr. Beckett. We'll take care of Katherine." Martha strides for the front door and opens it for him.

Jim didn't mean trying to suggest Katie should abort the baby. The exact opposite in fact. He was going to try and talk her out of aborting the baby if she was thinking about doing it. How did this go so wrong so fast?

Jim walked for the door and stopped just before exiting. "Please take good care of Katie, she's all I have left, and I didn't mean to suggest, ….. Just take good care of her." And Jim walks out not sure how or when he is going to get to fix this mess.

Martha closed the door behind him and locked it. The new locks and security system was getting installed tomorrow.

Martha had no idea of how many keys were out there, so Katherine's plan sounded like a good idea to her. With Richard gone people who were only interested in his money would likely start to show up soon.

Martha went looking for her phone leaving Katherine in Alexis's capable hands for the moment.

"Hi Steve, it's Martha. I think we need to talk about the vultures that are likely going to descend on us looking for money that Richard does or does not owe them.

And why was Black Pawn at my son's funeral?" Martha knew what Steve had told her about Richard firing them by not taking his option to end his contract with them.

Satisfied with the answers Martha got and the action Steve was going to take with Black Pawn, Martha started for the master bedroom. However Martha took a detour to the refrigerator first.

With three bottles of cold water in her hands, it was time to check in on Katherine. Things just seemed to be crashing all around her. It had to end soon. Katherine needed to feel good about herself again.

Martha could only pray she had it in her. Her son loved her, and that was more than enough for Martha.


	16. Chapter 16

**CH16**

Since TV and reading will be out for me for a couple of days, how about an early update? Since the next one might not be until Monday.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was one week later when Kate decided to go back into work. Alexis went with her and they separated just inside for Alexis to go downstairs and Kate to go up.

"I'll be here Kate. Please don't run. You're all I have left." Alexis wasn't crying and there were no tears, she was just baring her soul to Kate, partly so she knew she wasn't alone either.

Kate hugged her. "I'm not running Alexis. … I've got nowhere to run to anymore." After the disaster of her father showing up Alexis was all Kate had now too. "How about lunch, we can keep an eye on each other?" Kate offered up.

"That would be great." Alexis tells her and starts to walk away. "And no burgers." Alexis turns and points at Kate while still walking away. Getting Kate to giggle lightly.

Kate was the one that was pregnant but it was Alexis that was doing everything she could to make sure Kate and the baby were healthy.

They were early as usual so the boys were not in yet. Neither was Captain Montgomery, or at least he wasn't in his office. He could be downstairs somewhere since he ran the entire precinct, his office just happened to be on the fourth floor.

Kate turned on her computer and started looking to see if there were any active cases. Not finding one she went down to achieves to pull the old cold case she had been working on before all of this. Kate started it and she was damn well going to finish it.

"Beckett. …. How you feeling?" Roy was suddenly standing next to Kate as she was putting stuff back up on the white board. "You sure you should be here?" Roy was willing to give her another month if she needed it, but knew her well enough to know she wouldn't take it.

"I'm fine sir, honest. And if I don't find something to do soon I'm going to go stark raving mad and I'm going to take someone with me. … sir." Kate wasn't going to let Roy throw her out. "And it's Castle sir, not Beckett."

Roy's eyes light up. "OH!?"

"I married Castle one day before his accident in Chicago, …. Technically." Kate added not really willing to explain.

"Congratulations Mrs. Castle, … I hope. Anything else I should know about?" Roy was wondering what else she had done.

There was no way she was telling her Captain that she was pregnant. He'd have her on desk duty in a heartbeat. "I signed adoption papers for Alexis." Kate decides to spill those beans since it probably showed on her face there was something else.

"Mother and daughter in the same precinct. Not sure that has ever been done. That might be a first." Roy was smiling. Maybe Kate was recovering from losing Castle better than he had ever hoped for.

"Maybe having your daughter here will keep you from spending the night here again." Roy chuckles knowing Kate had slept on the couch in the break room on more than one occasion.

"Yes sir." Kate giggles. Kate hadn't thought of that. Another perk of having Alexis work with her, even if she was downstairs.

Roy heads for his office. "Don't forget to inform 1PP of your marital status change, name change and I'm assuming address change." Roy tells her over her shoulder.

That was something Kate needed to do still. At least this way she wouldn't get fired when they found out she was married to Castle let alone dating him. Though she didn't care if she ever worked again if it meant she could have Castle back.

"I'll always be here Kate, … always." A voice tells her.

"Castle?" Kate twist around convinced she had heard his voice but the floor was mostly empty. Not many places to hide but still she looks.

On her way back to the white board she finds Castle's chair back in its place next to her desk. Kate runs her fingers across the top of it. It was going to be different without Castle here anymore. "No more partner." Kate didn't like the sound of it.

"I'll always be your partner Kate." A voice tells her.

"Castle?" Kate's head is on a swivel. It was Castle's voice, she is certain of it. But he's dead, isn't he?

Kate searches the floor again but comes up empty. Nothing!

Kate has to get her mind off of it, so she gets back to work setting up her white board again. Constantly twisting her head to look for who is using Castle's voice. It wasn't funny, not in the least.

Espo and Ryan walked in together and saw Kate leaning against a desk staring at the white board. "Beckett!" They both hurried over to stand close. "How are you doing? … You look a lot better."

"I'm getting better. It's hard, I won't lie. Martha and Alexis can take most of the credit. I wouldn't be here without them. Or maybe not at all." Kate really was done running.

"Well it's good to see you Beckett, it hasn't been the same around here without you." Ryan tells her. Feeling better about her being up and about.

"Actually it's Castle now not Beckett." Kate tells them, getting shocked and not understanding looks on their faces.

"I married Castle the day before his accident in Chicago." Kate partially explains which was the truth. At least on paper. Only Martha and Alexis really needed to know the truth that she had married a man who was already dead. Just not dead in her heart, and he never would be, ever!

Then her desk phone rang. Kate walked to her desk. "Castle."

Kate listened and then hung up. "We've got a body." Kate tells them.

As Kate is pulling up to the site alone in her car for the first time in years, and not liking the feeling of it very much. There are already 3 police cruisers, three fire trucks along with three ambulances. One of which was just leaving with their lights and siren on.

It was a partially attached duplex. Meaning it shared a common wall with the unit next door. As typical for New York, neither unit had a garage. What you saw is what you got.

However in this case it looked like one side was recently burned and looked hot still.

Kate walked up to Lanie and Alexis who were talking to a guy in a fireman's shirt but not in a fire suit like all the others. "Lanie, Alexis, what have we got?"

Kate was close now and Lanie looked sad while it looked like Alexis had been crying. Kate's built-in mother gene quickly took over. "Pumpkin, what's wrong?" Kate was ready to hug her and already had a hold of her.

The man with them speaks up. "I'm Luis Gatica. I'm a fire battalion chief and also a fire inspector." Luis offers his hand.

"Kate Castle, homicide with the 12th precinct. This is my daughter, Alexis." Kate responds. Not seeing Alexis suddenly smile wiping away the few tears she has. Lanie however had noticed both Kate's comment and Alexis's response.

"We got a call early this morning before sunrise. By the time the first unit arrived the home was already fully involved. Access to the home was not really possible until we had some of the fire beat down.

The first team thru the front door found the occupants on the floor just inside the front door.

The wife just left here, she was still alive when the team found her." Luis pauses.

"Ok, house fire with injuries. Why are we here?" Kate didn't get it.

"Come with me." And Luis walks them in thru the front door. There were firemen still in suits walking the place inside.

"There was a fire at all of the windows and at the rear door. The front door was their only exit, which is where we found them." Luis pauses.

"The husband and teenage son probably died due to smoke inhalation." Lanie tells her. "I'll know more once I get them back to the lab."

"Arsonist?" Kate guesses. Noticing that Espo and Ryan were standing just outside the front door now.

"It does look like some kind of accelerate. I'm guessing Kerosene, not gasoline." Luis adds.

"Why kerosene?" Kate wonders.

"Kerosene burns a little hotter so it can more easily and fully involve the target area and keep burning." Luis explains.

"So we have an arsonist who got people killed." Kate comments.

"Worse." Luis tells her. Then he steps to the door entrance. "See these tracks here?" Luis points them out for Kate and the others to see.

"Something was jammed into the door frame holding the door closed and then removed, from the inside." Luis comments.

"And your men had no trouble opening the door from the outside?" Kate asks, getting Luis to shake his head.

"That means they were removed from the inside while the home was fully involved. … Who or why would they do that?" Espo didn't get it.

"Our killer did. …. He wanted to watch them burn." Kate comments.

Kate can hear Alexis inhale sharply. "My god!" Alexis has her hands over her mouth. They were burned alive and he stood there watching them burn.

Kate quickly had her arms around Alexis and kissed the top of her head.

"If he was in here he was in a full fire suit or he would have burned with them." Luis tells them.

"So we have a fireman who is an arsonist with his own fire suit who likes to watch his victims burn." Kate comments, not liking where this was leading.

"I'm afraid so." Luis tells them careful that no other fireman are close when he does.

"You two stay here and coordinate with Mr. Gatica, and get units to start going door to door. Maybe someone saw our killer come or go. And see if there are any security cameras anywhere near here. … There isn't going to be any DNA or fingerprints of our guy if he was in a full fire suit.

Still he got out of here somehow and it doesn't look like it was the front door. See if you can figure it out. Maybe he left tracks to where he parked his car or how he left this area. Someone in or carrying a full fire suit isn't going to be taking a taxi or city bus." Kate is looking at Espo and Ryan.

"I'm headed for the hospital, see if I can talk to our still alive vic. …. You ok pumpkin?" Kate still has a hold of Alexis.

"I'm fine." Alexis tells Kate.

"She'll be fine Kate, I'll look after her." Lanie tells Kate.

"I'll be by to see you when I get back from the hospital." And Kate kisses the top of her head again and leaves.

Once Kate was far enough away. "Pumpkin?" Espo comments. Ryan had heard it too and was nodding his head.

Alexis shrugs her shoulders. "Mom's been doing it once in a while. I don't think she even knows she's doing it." Alexis explains.

"MOM!?" Lanie had heard that one and was glaring at Alexis for still another explanation.

"Oooops." Alexis shrinks.

"Alexis Castle?" Lanie glares a little harder.

Alexis scrunches her face. "Kate signed adoption papers. I'm officially her daughter." Alexis shrinks a little further, if that was possible.

Lanie softly squeals and hugs Alexis tight. "I'm happy for you sweetie. I'm sure Kate will look after you just as well as Castle did."

"Castle looking after a Castle, except it's not Castle, but it is." Espo was losing his mind.

Lanie who still had Alexis in her arms looks at Javi. "What?" Lanie didn't get any of that.

"Beckett married Castle. I mean Castle married Castle, …. I mean, …. oh hell I don't know what I mean." Espo was still struggling with all of it.

How was he supposed to address Becket when Beckett is a Castle now, but not the Castle he knows as Castle? He was starting to get a headache.

"Alexis?" Lanie glares at Alexis again.

Alexis tries to disappear. Where was Kate to get her out of this?

"Alexis!" Lanie was waiting.

Alexis deflates. "Mom married dad the day before his accident in Chicago." Which was the truth, just not the whole truth and there was no way in hell she was telling anyone the whole truth.

"So Kate is pregnant AND married to Castle?" Lanie was suddenly happy and shocked and a little sad.

"PREGNANT?" Ryan suddenly spits out.

"Beckett, ... I mean Castle who is Beckett, …. Oh the hell with it. Pregnant?" Espo stumbles out.

"Ooops!" Lanie had opened her big mouth.

Now it was Alexis who turns on Lanie and glares at her. Maybe if Alexis glares at her lasers will come out her eyes and burn holes in Dr. Parrish.

"Come on sweetie, we've got a couple of bodies to look at." Lanie grabs Alexis and makes a hasty retreat.

After they are both gone. "We keep this to ourselves bro. Montgomery gets wind of this and he'll have Beckett, I mean Castle, … Oh I don't know who I mean. But she'll be riding a desk till maternity leave. And she'll have our skins if she finds out we finked on her." Espo warns Ryan.

"I'm not talking. I like my skin." Ryan tells him.

Lanie however does not have it so easy. Alexis is still glaring at her still hoping for laser beams to come out her eyes.

"I'm sorry! It leaked out ok." Lanie turns to look at Alexis next to her.

"Doesn't mean I'm still not happy for her, or you. Both of you. … We both want the Kate we knew back. Even if she is a Castle now, without Castle.

I'm sorry, that didn't come out right." Lanie was digging her hole a little deeper.

Alexis however was still glaring at her. When Kate found out they had both blabbed, they were both dead.

They were almost back to the precinct. "Enough already. I said I was sorry." Lanie needed Alexis to stop glaring at her. "I'll talk to the guys and make sure they keep their mouths shut." Lanie promises and pulls out her cell phone to do just that before they get inside the morgue.

Getting Alexis to stop glaring at her. Watching Kate glare at people was paying off it seems.

Kate had made it to the hospital and had asked about Angela Reed, a severe burn victim.

Kate was directed to the burn ward where she was in the ICU section under heavy medication. Kate had found the doctor that was in charge.

Kate showed her badge. "Detective Castle with the 12th Precinct." Calling herself Castle felt weird still. It was like calling herself Castle, the man. Not ex-Beckett. "I'm looking for Angela Reed. She would have just come in."

"She's in there." The doctor motions to the woman behind the glass they are standing next to. "She has 3rd degree burns over 60% of her body. She's been asking about her family. … I'm told they died at the scene. Whatever you tell her isn't going to matter. She won't live long enough for it to matter." And the doctor walks off giving silent permission for Kate to enter.

Kate felt bad before she even got here, now she felt worse.

Kate was required to gown up first before entering. "Angela, I'm detective Castle. I'd like to ask you a few questions." Kate didn't know how much time she had.

"Is my family ok?" Angela whispers out.

Kate could only see one of her arms. It was encased in a clear plastic bag of some kind. It was all heavily burned, and there were places where the bone was showing, also Kate could see the arm twitching from all the pain. Plus the entire left side of her face was also heavily burned. It reminded Kate of Two-Face from the Batman movie.

"They're in a different section of the hospital recovering from smoke inhalation." Kate lies. Praying her poker face is working well enough. "They'll be fine."

Angela relaxes. "Good, …. that's good."

"Angela can you tell me what happened?" Kate needed to know. She was the only witness she had at the moment at least.

"We were crawling to the front door. Dan got it unlocked but, ...it, ... wouldn't, ... open." Angela started crying.

"Can you go back before that? Before the fire?" Kate wanted to understand the sequence of events.

It takes Angela a moment to calm down. "I couldn't brush my teeth. The water was off. … Dan went outside to turn it back on."

"And then you went to bed?" Kate offers to get her to keep talking. Castle had said there was always a story. Angela seemed to have one. One Kate needed to hear.

"Yeah, … Yeah." Angela whispers out. Kate could still see her arm twitching from the pain. Everything else was covered.

"Then you woke up and there was a fire. What or who woke you up?" Kate pushed the story along. Castle always said there was a story. A reason for it all to make sense.

Anglea looked panicked suddenly. "It was Paul" Angela started crying again.

"Your son woke you up? Not the smoke alarms?" Kate questions. Everyone had smoke alarms, right?

"No, … no, it, … it was Paul." Angela was crying and having trouble breathing.

"And then you started crawling across the floor?" Kate pushed the story along, worried she didn't have much time or more accurately that Angela didn't have much time left.

"The fire was everywhere, it was everywhere. …. We made it to the front door. But, .. it, … wouldn't, …. open." Angela was back to crying again.

"And then I knew it was going to be alright, when I saw the fireman." Angela calmed down immensely.

"A fireman? In a fire suit?" Kate asks.

"He was standing in the fire. We were safe. ….. Please don't let my family see me like this. PLEASE!" Angela went back to crying.

"No, I won't let your family see you till you are ready. I promise." Kate tells her.

"Good, …. that's good. My son doesn't need to see me like this." Angela was calm again.

Five minutes later, she was gone, and Kate watched her go.

"Please tell me Castle didn't suffer like this." Kate asks the ceiling. With new tears falling down Kate's face. Having Castle gone was hard enough, but to think of him suffering broken and bleeding in a taxi calling for Kate. That was just too much.


	17. Chapter 17

**CH17**

Kate was back in the bullpen and the guys were already here.

"Got anything?" Kate asks them.

"The fire inspector is convinced it is Kerosene. It was at all the doors and windows of their home on both floors. Only the front door was free of flames." Espo tells Kate.

"Security footage of the cameras in the area should be here in about an hour. There is nothing on their street." Ryan tells Kate.

"Anything on how he got out?" Kate asks them.

"Nothing. The surrounding area is all concrete or blacktop. No foot prints to find or follow." Espo responds.

Alexis showed up from downstairs. "Here are the results from the husband. Lanie still has the son to do still."

Kate takes it and opens it. "He died of smoke inhalation. All his burns were done post mortem. No other injuries were in evidence." Alexis tells Kate while she reads.

"Small favors I suppose." At least he didn't burn alive like Angela did.

"What did the wife say?" Alexis was curious.

"She saw a fireman in a fire suit standing in the fire." Kate confirms their worst fears.

"He watched them burn." Alexis mumbles, praying it had been different. Wondering if her father had suffered in the crash.

"She said the water was off and her husband went out to turn it back on. Then her son woke them because of the fire." Kate pauses, thinking.

"Not the smoke alarms?" Alexis questions.

"The complete fire inspectors report isn't done yet, but he did mention they had smoke detectors." Espo reads from his folder.

"Leaving them only one way out which was the front door that he had jammed closed from the inside. Up high where they couldn't see them since they are crawling on the floor like you are supposed to." Kate comments.

"He turned off the water." Alexis comments.

"Leaving the door open allowing him access." Kate comments.

"He finds a place to hide once inside." Alexis comments.

"After he is sure they have all gone to bed, he starts pouring his kerosene." Kate comments.

"Making sure to cover all the exits except the front door." Alexis comments.

"Then he disables all the smoke detectors to make sure it is too late." Kate comments.

"Takes out the batteries and puts them back in place to make it look like a mistake on their part, or alerting them too early." Alexis comments.

"Then he lights the kerosene on fire starting at the furthest location from their bedrooms." Kate comments.

"And with his fire suit he stands in the flames and watches them panic and crawl to the front door." Alexis comments.

"The only way out free of flames that he has already jammed closed." Kate comments.

"And he stands over them watching them burn and pulls out what he used to jam the door closed. Convinced they were all dead." Alexis comments.

"But the wife survived so we know now how he did it." Kate comments.

"A fire suit like that sounds expensive. Where did he get it? Steal it from a fire station when they are out on a run?" Alexis comments.

Kate turns from Alexis. "Espo, contact the fire department. See if they have had any fire suits stolen in the last 6 months. If they get damaged find out what they do with them." Kate asks of him.

"Ryan, find out who makes and sells these suits. Can just anyone buy one? And if you can what do they cost? And who bought one in the last 6 months." Kate asks of him.

Espo and Ryan had been standing there with their heads switching back and forth between the two like it was a tennis match and they were sitting at mid court.

Ryan has made it to his desk and had picked up his phone.

Espo has made it to his desk and had picked up his phone. "That was just spooky, bro."

Getting Ryan to nod his head in agreement.

Alexis started to go back downstairs like it was nothing, and Kate turned to lean against the desk to stare at her murder board. "Arsonists want buildings to burn. There is something in the fire. This guy is using fire to kill people. He's a murderer who is using arson to do his work. Because he is a fireman?" Kate talks to herself.

"Or an ex-fireman who was injured on the job and wants revenge?" Alexis offers since she hadn't actually left yet.

Alexis had stopped to make sure Kate was doing ok.

"Espo, find out how many firemen have been fired, quit or forced to retire early due to an injury." Kate yells out. Then walks over to Alexis and wraps her arms around her. "Thanks Alexis." Then Kate kisses the top of her head then smiles at her.

After letting go of Alexis, Kate goes back to her murder board, lost in her element of trying to solve a case.

Now Alexis knows what her father saw happens when Kate forgets to eat something.

Alexis pulled out her phone and arranged to have chicken wraps delivered for Kate, Espo and Ryan. If she had her father's credit card she would have ordered enough for the entire floor. But she only had $3,000 a week to work with so she had to be at least a little careful.

An hour later, Ryan and Espo were still working on their list of things Kate had given them. Lanie and Alexis were busy with the son, Paul, while Kate was walking up and down the murder board. Talking to it.

"Castle? ….. CASTLE!" Someone tried again.

Kate snapped out of it and started looking around looking for Castle. Someone had seen him? Her heart soared at the possibility.

Someone dropped a bag on Kate's desk. "These were delivered for you downstairs." And then he left.

Kate deflated. She was Castle now.

Walking over to her desk she opened the bag. "Chicken wraps." And her heart which had taken a beating lately suddenly soared. This had Alexis written all over it. Kate knew if she had ordered food, it would have been burgers or pizza. Castle sends her food from out of town and Alexis does it while in the same building.

Not something healthy for her that Alexis was pestering her to eat. Maybe there was a Castle in the precinct after all, or two or three. As Kate places a hand on her stomach.

Kate took three of them out and put them on her desk, leaving six more. Kate dropped the bag on Espos desk in front of him. "Lunch for you two, compliments of Alexis." Kate tells them and retreats to her desk to sit down and eat.

While she is eating her stomach growls. "I'm feeding you, I'm feeding you." Kate talks to herself. Well sort of to herself. Part her stomach, part baby.

Alexis came back upstairs with Lanie's report on the son, Paul. "He died of smoke inhalation too." Alexis tells her.

Kate was still sitting at her desk and pulled Alexis in closer so she could kiss the side of her head. "Thanks for lunch. …. The baby thanks you too." Kate whispers so no one else could hear her.

Alexis just smiles. "Now I know how dad felt." Watching Kate not eat because she had buried herself in her case.

Kate smiles knowing she is busted. "Ready to head home in a couple of hours?" Kate asks Alexis.

Alexis turns to look at the murder board. "Anything yet?" Alexis was curious too.

Kate shakes her head. "No, Ryan is going over all the security cameras we could find in the area. Even the private ones on adjacent buildings. Espo is out checking with the fire department on what they do with their suits when they need new ones." Kate explains.

"I can't imagine being burned alive. That must be so painful. … Physically and mentally," Alexis comments.

Kate could still see a burnt and hurting Angela die from her burns.

"I'm glad dad died quickly." Alexis comments absent mindedly.

"What?" Alexis had Kate's attention now.

"Lanie told me the damage dad incurred was massive. He died near instantaneously. Lanie didn't think he felt a thing it was so quick and devastating." Alexis explains.

Kate looked at the ceiling and said a silent "Thank you."

"Lanie didn't tell you?" Alexis thought Kate knew. Getting Kate to shake her head.

Alexis moved in and hugged Kate while she was sitting. "Dad didn't feel a thing Kate. He never knew what happened. … Probably didn't see it coming either."

Kate squeezed Alexis close. After Kate let go of her, "Screw two hours from now. Let's go home. We can surprise Martha" Kate offers. Getting Alexis to smile and nod her head.

Kate gathered up her weapon, shield and her bag and checked in with Ryan in the viewing room that she was taking Alexis home.

Kate and Alexis were approaching the door to the loft when Kate saw that it was wide open.

Kate pushed Alexis back behind her and carefully placed her bag on the floor, and then pulled her weapon. Kate then motioned for Alexis to stay where she was.

Kate approached the door with her weapon ready when she saw a man installing a dead bolt on the door and another man working on a panel just inside the door.

Kate suddenly relaxed. It was the upgrade to the security system Kate had asked for.

Kate put her weapon away and retrieved Alexis. "It's just the security guys installing the upgrades." Kate explains, watching Alexis start breathing again.

"Katherine, Alexis. What got you two home so early?" Martha saw them enter since she was keeping an eye on the men doing the install.

"We're waiting for information on our case that is not likely to come in today, so we thought we would surprise you Martha." Kate explains.

"Well good, this way you'll be around when they finish so they can explain it to you. That way you can explain it to me." Martha was convinced anything fancy like this security system was going to be over her head.

"It should be pretty simple Martha, otherwise no one would be able to use it." At least Kate was hoping it was simple.

"I'm just looking for you to dumb it down for me dear, nice and simple." Martha waves her hand at Kate and heads for the kitchen. Since Katherine was home now, she could take over.

Kate internally chuckles a little. Martha was such a character. Listening to Castle you would think she was a pain in the neck, but Kate was learning to like her a lot. Martha wasn't Johanna, but it felt good having her around.

The security guy goes over everything with Kate and Alexis, leaving Kate to explain it to Martha.

Control panels near every door and in many rooms that can activate the alarm or trigger a panic alarm.

Alarm central monitoring: If it's not being monitored, what's the sense in it?

An alarm or siren to freak out the burglar and alert the neighbors.

Motion sensors everywhere—enough motion sensors to detect movement, but not sensitive enough that they will send false alarms all day. Pet friendly depending on the size of the pet.

Security cameras in every room, and more surveying every point of the exterior of the home.

Viewing monitors in every room, keeping the homeowner fully aware of any activity. It's nice to have a monitor wherever you are.

Glass break sensors in every room, alerting the homeowner to smashed doors or windows.

Door and window sensors on every door and every window on every floor.

Mobile applications to control the system from any tablet, mobile phone, computer or laptop.

Sensors for light control, fire, carbon monoxide, extreme heat or freezing.

**Command Center and Cameras**

The home's occupants can view the entire house on a computer or tablet, thanks to the cameras strategically placed throughout the inside and outside of the building. They can also communicate with whoever is in the house and deploy any tactical security measures necessary.

**Fog Blast**

Located at the outside area of the front door. Enough to cover the entire hallway down to the elevator.

A non-lethal way to stop an intruder cold: A fog blaster located in an area or multiple areas of the house. Once activated, the device disables the invader with a sleeping compound or pepper spray laced into the foggy air. The fogger is part of the home's tactical defense system that can be accessed remotely.

"Each panel in every room is bio-metric. Meaning only those people that have been programmed into the system can activate or de-activate the system. The panic alarm however has no such protection. Anyone can activate it.

"I'll need to program in each of your finger prints into the system. All you have to do is touch that section of the panel to activate that section of the panel.

You can view who is programmed into the system using a laptop, smart phone or the main control panel that is located in the kitchen.

You can activate the system according to what you want. Say you come home and the system is fully on. The doors, windows, motion detectors. You will turn off the entire system with a touch of your finger. No codes or PIN numbers to memorize.

Once the door is secured, you can turn on the system but leave the motion detectors off. This way the exterior access to the interior is monitored but your movement inside the home will not trigger an alarm.

You can also turn on or off the system remotely, provided that your laptop, tablet or phone can recognize your finger print. Again there are no codes or PIN numbers for you to memorize"

He then walks Kate and Alexis what each panel in the home can do and see using the cameras spread out all over, including inside. Then he shows them how to program in a fingerprint into the system and assign each one a name to go with it.

"Short of having a panic room in your home, this is as safe as anyone can get you inside your own home. It's been a pleasure helping you with your system Mrs. Castle. Enjoy." And Kate lets him out.

And as soon as the door is closed, Kate presses the button for everything but the motion detectors and listens to the front door get locked. Then she turns the secondary deadbolt that is only accessed from the inside.

"How's that for simple Martha? All you have to do is press a button." Kate was smiling. It was complex and simple at the same time.

Martha was saved from having to answer Kate, when Kate's cell phone rang."Castle." Kate didn't recognize the ID.

"Oh hi Steve, what can I do for you?" Kate remembered he was Castle's lawyer.

"Yes I know Alexis was left the house in Bel-Air." Kate confirms that she remembers that part.

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Kate's eyes bug out as she turns to face Martha.

"Yes I know she can't legally do that." Kate can see a "What?" written all over Martha's face.

"Hang on." Kate tells Steve, and covers the phone with her hand. "Meredith put the house in Bel-Air up for sale." Kate explains. Getting a "WHAT!?" From both Martha and Alexis.

"Give me that." Martha steps up and takes the cell phone out of Kate's hand. "Steve this is Martha."

Martha listens for a time. "No she can't, that's my granddaughter's house." Martha listens some more.

"Yes that is acceptable, but she goes any further Steve, …." Martha goes back to listening. "That'll be fine, keep us informed. … Thanks Steve." Martha ends the call and hands Kate back her phone.

"A local representative of Steve's firm along with a Sheriff's Deputy is going to go over to the house and explain to Meredith that she has no legal standing to sell the house and if she continues to try, she will be arrested." Martha explains.

"I don't understand, what would possess her to think she could sell a house she doesn't own?" Kate didn't understand Meredith even a little bit. How she treated Alexis, suddenly showing up out of the blue thinking she was just going to take over, and now this.

"I think I do." Alexis whispers.

Kate steps over to Alexis and takes a hold of her upper arms in each of hers. "Alexis?" If Alexis knew something and Alexis was her daughter, she wanted to know.

"Mom would suddenly show up and decide to stay for a week, except she would stay only for a couple of days. She would take me out shopping, buying massive amounts of things for herself and a little for me. Not that I wanted much anyway.

I think she talked dad into handing over his credit card to go shopping with." Alexis paused.

Kate was starting to get a clearer picture of where this was going, and she didn't like it.

"The day she would leave her and dad would have a big fight. I was in my room so I don't know what they said, there were just yelling at each other. But I could make out a little of it was about money.

I think mom got dad to give her money and then she would pack and storm out of the house." Alexis talks to the floor.

"Only to come back and do it all over again some other time." Kate thinks she understands now. "And with no Castle to get money from she did the next best thing. Try and sell the house she doesn't own or pay a dime to live in." Kate was working up from mad to furious.

"Castle was the kindest, sweetest, most gentle person I've ever known. Part of why I love him so. … And she used him!" Kate's face went from gentle to one of stone in a heartbeat.

Kate pulled out her phone. "Steve, this is Kate. I know what Martha told you. I want you to arrest the bitch. Pick her up and throw her to the curb. I'll arrange to have the locks changed and have a cleaning crew come in and give it a complete cleaning. I don't care what happens to her personal items; dump them at the curb, something. She has spent her last day living somewhere completely free of charge.

If I had to make my own way since I was a teenager, so can she." Kate listens for a minute. "Yes, that'll be perfect. …. Thanks Steve."

Kate hangs up her phone and throws it for the sofa a number of feet away. Then turns to look at Alexis. "I'm sorry pumpkin, mother or not I'm not putting up with this CRAP!" They could still hear Kate's anger over the matter in her voice.

Alexis however smiles wide and hugs Kate. "Thanks mom!" FINALLY, someone who was going to look out for her and not cow tow to the force of Meredith.

"Thank you Kate." A voice tells her. Which has Kate's head on a swivel. "What the ,….?"

"Is there something Katherine?" Martha can see Kate looking everywhere.

"I don't, …. It's just something." Kate knows she heard Castle's voice, but it's not possible. "Martha did you see them install any speakers for the security system?" There had to be an explanation.

"No dear, just the panels in all the rooms." Martha looks at Kate funny.

"It's just, …. Probably nothing." Kate brushes it off. Castle was gone. No matter how much she didn't want him to be. Even though she could still feel the almost physical pain of him being gone.

Kate knew if it wasn't for Martha, Alexis and the baby, she'd be gone by now too.

Alexis however was looking at Kate funny, but kept her mouth closed.


	18. Chapter 18

**CH18**

Kate and Alexis separated at the entrance to the precinct; Kate went up while Alexis went down.

They were early and the boys were not here yet allowing Kate to sit at her desk, turn on her computer and see if she had any messages. Finding nothing she went to her murder board.

Kate needed something, she was missing something. How did he get his fire suit? What drives him to kill using fire? How does he pick his targets?

Kate was still staring at her murder board when Espo and Ryan finally came in. "Hey Castle." Ryan calls out. Getting Kate to turn. It was going to take a long time before she thought they were referring to her and not Castle.

Kate shakes her head. "Ryan, anything on the security footage?"

"Lots of taxis and lots of cars. DMV should give us everything on all the cars I saw sometime this morning." Ryan informs her.

"Anything on the fire suit?" Kate looks at Espo.

"The fire suit alone costs approx. $1,200 and that's without the air tank and breathing mask. You'd be amazed the number of suits that have been purchased in the last 6 months.

Seems people who are doomsday preppers and are serious about it all have one. Now fire man oxygen tanks are not just your average air tank. You don't just go down to your local dive store and get one.

Seems when they need to be tested they go to only one place. And guess who is missing not one but three from their inventory?" Espo is smiling.

"Three?" Kate didn't like the sound of that. "Why would our killer need three?" Kate didn't understand that part.

"Ok, so maybe he has three. He needs to fill them with air. Start checking the dive shops and see if they have filled any tanks that are not dive tanks." Maybe they could find him that way.

"On it." Espo heads for his desk.

"Three tanks?" Kate looks at her murder board again. Maybe he has done this before, just not in their jurisdiction.

"Ryan, see if there have been any other fires outside of our jurisdiction in say the last 6 months. …. Maybe our victims were not the first." Kate tells him.

"Yes boss Castle." Ryan teases.

"Keep that up and you'll never get another free lunch again." Kate threatens back. Kate's smile however told him she didn't mean it.

A little while later. "I've got 12 dive shops in the area." Ryan gets off the phone to tell Kate.

"Damn it!" At least New York wasn't Florida or California. "Ok, take Karpowski with you and check out the ones closest to our victim's house." Ryan gathered up his weapon, shield and cell phone and went in search of Karpowski.

Espo was busy still talking to anyone in the fire dept. he could find. Trying to get a list of firemen who have been injured while on the job or ones that have retired. Especially if they retired due to injury.

Kate's desk phone rang. "Castle." Kate started to hang up the phone by pounding it in place, then gently hung the phone up. "We've got more bodies." Kate tells Espo.

"Is it our guy?" Espo wasn't looking forward to seeing more people burned to death.

"Let's go find out." Kate and Espo pull out their weapons, shields and head downstairs.

Just like last time, there are four police cruisers, three fire trucks and three ambulances. "Lanie, Alexis. "What have we got?"

"Hi Kate. One adult male, one male child and one female child. It's hard to figure out their ages. There is so little left of them." Kate explains.

"Is it our guy?" Kate asks.

"You better ask him." And Lanie points.

Kate steps up. "Luis, I can't say I'm happy to see you again." Kate offers her hand.

Luis takes it. "Detective Castle. I heard there was a funeral for a Castle recently. Any relation?" Luis was curious. He had heard he was a famous writer.

"My husband." Kate offers, not willing to expand on it.

"I'm sorry. …. I lost my wife when she went home to her little town in Nicaragua. She went into town one day, like she had hundreds of times. Only this time she was raped and killed." Luis was only too familiar with the pain Kate was going thru.

"I'm sorry. …. Is this our guy?" Kate changes the subject before they both ended up crying.

Luis snaps out of it. "Hard to tell, but I think so. This time it was a garage. It appears the power was cut preventing the garage door opener from functioning.

It appears they were in the car at the time. Not sure why they didn't open the doors of the car to escape.

It appears he poured kerosene on the car directly and then lit it on fire and watched it burn for a bit, then left.

The fire ultimately reached the gas tank, paint cans and other items you would find in a garage where it exploded blowing the car, the garage and the family in into pieces.

There's not much left of the car to determine why they didn't get out and make a run for it." Luis tells her.

"The explosion literally blew the garage door thru the window of the building across the street." Luis points. "Fortunately they were still upstairs in the bedroom at the back of the unit."

"So he knew their routine to know they would use the car to leave in the morning and when. Plus he knows enough about cars to know how to trap them in it once they are in the car."

"The previous one was done at night. This one was done early in the morning. Like the father was driving his kids to school." Luis offers.

"He's getting bolder and surer of himself, and that he won't get caught." Kate didn't like it at all. "And he didn't even wait over 48 hours till the next killing. He's quick. If this one was planned he already has his next family all planned out" Kate was running out of time before someone else died.

Kate went back over to Lanie and Alexis. "Anything?"

"They're in pieces Kate. When the car exploded it spread their parts all over the place." Lanie shakes her head. It was going to be a puzzle piece when they got back to the lab.

Kate stepped over to Alexis and hugged her. "Pumpkin?"

"I'm fine mom, honest. It's just another dead body. It'll actually be a challenge to try and piece them back together to ID them properly for the family." Alexis wasn't backing down.

"She's good Kate. I'll watch her. I promise." Lanie tells Kate.

Kate turns to Espo who had approached them. "Espo?"

"The neighbors across the street gave me a name. Seems they knew who they were.

The husband and wife are divorced. He got the kids every other weekend. This was his weekend. I have a phone number for the mother. He was driving them back to their mother this morning. He was being sent to Baltimore for his work today for the next two days." Espo explains.

GREAT! Kate was not looking forward to this. A mother who had just lost her two children while in the care of her ex-husband. If the divorce had been ugly this was going to be even more ugly.

"See if you can find any security camera coverage. He more than likely drove here. Maybe he is on this security coverage and the one Ryan pulled from the area of the last one.

He keeps to this time table and some family is going to die by tomorrow morning. I'd like to find him before then. And get some uniforms to interview the neighbors. Maybe someone saw something. His car at least." Kate headed for her car and back to the precinct.

Kate had more items to put up on her murder board.

Ryan wasn't back yet and Espo was busy with the security cameras in the area.

Someone approaches Kate. "The wife is here and in interrogation room #1."

"Thanks." Kate looks that way. This was likely not going to be pretty.

It wasn't! Half an hour later the ex-wife was charging out of the interrogation room leaving Kate behind in her wake.

Kate collected her papers and shuffled her feet back to her desk. "Well that was fun." Problem was Kate could relate. It wasn't a child that she had lost, technically. But still it was loss.

Kate put her forehead down on her desk. "I miss you Castle. I just wish, …." Kate was starting to fall apart yet again. She so missed Castle.

"I'll always be with you Kate, …. always." A voice tells her.

Kate's head snaps up and she looks around, but the floor was mostly empty. "Castle?" If this was a joke Kate wasn't laughing and it was approaching being cruel.

Ryan and Karpowski are back. "I think we've got something." Ryan waves the DVD disk in his hand. "We got one store that filled all three tanks. All the same guy. The latest was only three days ago. …. He gave us a copy of his security recording."

Finally! "Get on it. If he keeps to his time table someone dies tonight or in the morning." Kate wanted him before anyone else died.

Ryan finally found him but he paid cash so they didn't have a name. But they did have an area and a face.

Later in the day Espo steps out. "Beckett, …. Castle, you need to see this." Espo was going to get it right someday, ... he hoped. It's just Beckett wasn't Castle but was.

"Now watch. …. This is the first one. And we see this car leaving the area not long after the time frame we are working with." Espo points out.

"Ok, why are we concerned about this car? There are no shots of the driver." Kate didn't see anything.

"Right, Now this is the second one." Espo switches coverages.

"We see this car here. Clearly leaving the area." Espo shows Kate.

"It's the same car. But again no picture of the driver and no plates." Kate doesn't like it.

"Right, but now watch." Espo changes camera's.

"Here is our car and he goes thru this red light here." Espo shows her.

"Find out if there are red light cameras!" Kate was suddenly hopeful.

"Already have." Espo pulls up a picture of the driver.

"I'll be, …." Kate steps out. "Ryan bring that picture from the dive shop." Kate yells across the room.

Kate holds the picture up against the monitor of the guy in the car. "That's our guy! … Have we got a plate?" Knowing how red light cameras work.

Espo pulls up the plate area. "He removed the plates." Kate was pissed.

"Yea, but look at this." Espo zooms in a little.

"It's a Ford Taurus. …. A silver Ford Taurus. …. Use the pictures and see if you can determine the year and then contact DMV for all silver Ford Taurus of that year. Maybe we can match the DMV record with the picture we have.

And hurry up, we don't have much time." Kate looks at her dad's watch. Her dad who wanted her to have an abortion. Kate still hadn't gotten over that. She thought she knew him. How could he?

Kate shook her head and got her head back into the case. She was running out of time.

"I've got 20,600 2008 Ford Taurus's sold as new in the New York City area. It was also the most popular color sold with White being #2." Ryan tells her.

"He may have bought it used." Kate groans. "How many were silver?" Afraid of the answer.

"Just under half." Ryan deflates. It was going to take hours to go thru DMV records looking for one person based on a picture of him.

"Get started, we're out of time." Kate tells him. Then Kate's desk phone rang. "Castle." Still thinking it sounds funny to her. Just not funny ha ha.

"We've got a body." Kate puts the phone down. They guys didn't need to ask if it was their guy.

Uniforms had already taped the area off and had closed the cross street they were at.

"Lanie, Alexis, what have we got?" The body was on a sidewalk.

"Male, his wallet was damaged in the fire. The most I can make out is his age of 29 and he lived in Manhattan. Cause of death is rather obvious but I'll make sure once we get him back to the lab." Lanie explains.

"Only one this time and not a family." Alexis points out confused.

"Yea, not exactly matching our other victims. So what changed?" Kate was looking down at the body.

"Mom!" Alexis was pointing.

Kate turned to look. "Ryan, pull the security coverage. Looks like he did this one were we can see him."

"Beckett, …. Castle." Espo shakes his head. It was going to take some time to get used to this. "Found a cell phone. Looks to be undamaged." Kate takes it from him and starts to play with it.

"Looks like he may have been on the phone at the time. I've got a name and a number for it. Looks like a woman's name. …. Find out who she is and get her in, we need to talk to her." Kate hands it back and Espo bags it.

"Do I need to ask if it was kerosene?" Kate asks.

Lanie shakes her head. "Sorry honey, it's just like all the others."

"He's early. It's not that late yet or even morning. Why the change? Why this guy?" Kate mumbles out.

"He took it personal maybe." Alexis offers having heard Kate. "Maybe he waked across his path when the car had a green light?"

"It pissed him off and he struck back." Kate walked over to Alexis and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll see you back at the precinct." Kate tells Alexis.

Kate and the guys are back at their desks. "The security coverage will be here in about an hour." Ryan tells Kate.

"Uniforms are bringing in the lady who was on the phone." Espo tells Kate.

About an hour later a young lady still crying is leaving via the elevator. "He was her fiancé'. He was on the phone with her when it happened. She got to hear his screams as he burned to death." Kate explains.

"That's just wrong." Espo hangs his head low. "Listen to someone you love die on you."

"Video is in." Ryan tells them and they all move over to his desk to watch.

They are watching for a while. "Here comes our guy." Espo comments as they watch the guy walk down the street and cross the intersection, on a green light with his cell phone at his ear.

"So he didn't walk across our guy in front of him." Ryan notes.

"Here comes a car." As they watch it stop.

"Looks like a silver Taurus to me." Kate comments.

"What's he doing?" Espo is wondering as they see the driver get out of the car. Then he lights something and throws it beyond the camera looking that way.

"A Molotov cocktail." Kate comments hating this guy.

Then he stands there and watches for a while. "Hold that. …. Zoom in."

Ryan holds up his picture. "It's our guy."

"Go forward." Kate tells Ryan.

"THERE, stop." Kate suddenly gets excited. "Zoom in."

"He left his plates on." Espo notices.

"Run them." Kate tells them.

"Got him. Registered to one Vincent Styles. … I've got an address." Espo tells them.

"Let's pick him up." Kate wanted this guy.

A little later they are at their cars at the address and suiting up. "Ryan, take the fire escape. Just our luck his room will be right off of it. Espo, you're with me."

Ryan takes a spot where he can watch the fire escape and the front entrance in case their guy isn't here yet.

Espo and Kate make it up the stairs. Espo takes one side of the door and Kate takes the other.

"On three." Kate mouths.

"Three with shot guns Kate." A voice tells her.

"Three! … Shot guns?" Kate whispers out. "Castle?" Kate starts looking around. Kate heard his voice, she knows it was Castle this time.

Kate motions Espo to follow her and they got back downstairs. Ryan joins them as they exit the front door.

"What happened? Was he not there?" Ryan asks.

"Call in a tactical team Espo. I don't like it." There was no way she was telling anyone she was backing off because of a body less voice.

Kate and the boys wait outside as the tactical team goes inside the building. A short time later they can here the all too familiar sound of three shot gun blasts followed by multiple gun shots.

Two of the tactical team have buck shot in his arm/shoulder and being taken away in an ambulance. While another one was also being taken away having taken a blast in the stomach that his vest had stopped.

The tactical leader informs Kate and the guys what they found inside and that the room was clear for them to enter.

Kate and the guys find gallons of kerosene all in plastic containers along with a number of Molotov cocktails. There were also three fire suits with three tanks. Along with three hand guns and ammunition for them and the shotguns.

There was also a laptop that was going to be inspected closely.


	19. Chapter 19

**CH19**

Kate and the guys were still looking over the room after the shooting trying to piece together what these three were doing and why when Lanie and Alexis showed up.

CSU was already on their way and the laptop was already on its way back to the precinct to try and find out what was on it.

Kate walked over. "Lanie I need to borrow Alexis for a few minutes." And not waiting for a response takes Alexis by the arm and goes downstairs.

It's kind of a mess downstairs but Kate finds a quiet spot on their side of the yellow tap keeping everyone back.

"It's just another dead body Kate. Not something I haven't seen before." Alexis tries to anticipate the question.

"It's not about that Alexis, I know you can handle it and I'm proud of you. And I know Lanie likes having you around. This is something else." Kate suddenly looks nervous and unsure of herself.

This time Alexis takes Kate's arm. "What?" Alexis was now worried. Was Kate running or thinking about shutting her out?

"After Espo and I were at the front door, …. There was a voice. I heard it, …. I've been hearing it for days if not weeks now. …. At first I thought it was someone playing some kind of sick joke on me. Now I'm not so sure." Kate pauses not sure how to tell Alexis.

"A voice, from nowhere?" Alexis thinks she knows and decides to take a risk. "You heard dad's voice, didn't you?" Alexis leaps hoping Kate doesn't think she's nuts.

Kate nods her head as tears start. "He said there were three inside with shotguns. …. If Espo and I had gone in there, they would have shot us. Maybe killed us, … and the baby. … Wait, what makes you think it was Castle's voice? I never said it was Castle" Kate had not said anything about it sounding like Castle.

Alexis moves in and hugs Kate. "I've been hearing his voice for days now. Just little things. Like try harder. Don't give up and I love you. …. I thought I was losing my mind over losing dad, so I didn't say anything. … You and grams might want to put me in the Looney bin or something."

Kate chuckles lightly as she wraps her arms around Alexis. "And here I thought I was the one that would get locked up in the Looney bin. …. I could swear it's his voice Alexis. I know it's his voice. I just don't understand how."

"It's dad, mom. I can hear him as plain as day. It's his voice, I know it is. …. I just didn't know you were hearing it to. …. I think I wondered one time but didn't say anything." Alexis tells her.

"You think he's haunting us or something, like Ghostbusters?" It was the only movie Kate could remember at that moment that dealt with ghosts.

"Haunting suggests that he wants us to suffer or endure pain for some reason. I love you, doesn't sound like pain and suffering to me." Alexis counters.

"But he's gone pumpkin. No matter how much I don't want him to be." Kate's lip starts quivering as more tears fall. "He's gone." The pain of missing Castle was still only all to real.

"I'll always be here." A voice tells them.

"Dad?" Alexis pulls back and starts looking around.

"Castle?" With Kate doing the same.

"Did you hear that?" Alexis asks. Getting Kate to nod her head.

"Dad please, talk to us." Alexis questions into empty space.

"Castle please." Kate actually begs.

Getting nothing back. "How does this work?" Alexis questions, partly to herself. Getting Kate to shake her head. She didn't know either.

"We were thinking about Castle and he responded. I just wish he would talk to us. I just want him back any way i can get him." Kate whispers out.

"Go ahead Kate, say it. You know you want to." It was a weird situation, might as well talk about it.

Kate smiles at Alexis knowing that what she is thinking is likely now wrong. "I don't believe in no Ghosts. …. But maybe I'm learning to."

Kate takes a hold of Alexis. "Tell me what you hear when you hear it. I'll do the same. …. Deal?"

Alexis nods her head and wipes away a few tears. "Come on pumpkin, we have work to do still." And Kate starts to leave.

"Mom, you've been calling me pumpkin a lot lately." Alexis points out.

Kate thinks about it for a moment and chuckles. "I guess I have, haven't I. … Well technically you are my daughter. I signed the papers. Do you not want me to call you pumpkin? I know it was sort of something Castle did, not me."

"No, I like it. Reminds me of when dad did it. I'd just as soon try and remember as much as I can of him, so you don't have to stop." Alexis actually did like it. It was affection, and Alexis was willing to take all she could get.

Kate hugged Alexis again and kissed the top of her head. "Come on, we have some burnt families that need closure and we're going to give it to them." And leads Alexis back upstairs. "Because that's what we Castle's do."

It was now almost 4 months later:

Alexis was doing great! Her two classes twice a week wasn't interfering with her working with Lanie most of the time.

Kate was feeling a little more normal now after losing the love of her life. Having Alexis show up in the bullpen and offer her opinion of the cases they got was helping a lot. Alexis was even coming up with occasional wild theories about things, which always got Kate smiling.

After the near catastrophe with the three men with shotguns that could easily have killed her or the baby, Kate had told Montgomery that she was pregnant and wanted to be put on desk duty.

The baby was all she had left of Castle and she wasn't going to do anything to risk losing it. That day had come as close as she wanted to. As much as she hated sitting at a desk all day, losing Castle's baby would be the end of her.

Kate was also now 5 months pregnant and was coming home from her trip to the doctor. With another appointment for one month from today.

Alexis was home because of her class. "Hi Alexis." As Kate enters thru the front door, pressing her finger on the control panel turning it off, and then turning it back on again.

"Hi mom, what did the doctor say?" Alexis was curious. Kate's baby was part of her father and was interested in everything about the baby.

"We're both good. Here I've got new pictures." Kate hands over the pictures from the ultrasound.

"Wow he or she is growing." Alexis didn't have any trouble seeing him anymore after all the ultrasound pictures Kate had come home with prior to today.

"It's a boy." Kate informs her.

"REALLY! Dad's having a boy. …. He would have been so happy. I promise mom, he's going to be the most loved boy on the planet." Alexis was going to do everything it took to make sure too.

"A son." Castle's voice tells them, sounding happy.

Alexis and Kate grin at each other. They had gotten used to Castle giving off short few words about things.

They had finally worked out that if it was an emotional moment, Castle would talk to them. Although it wasn't really a conversation with him. But they had gotten used to it, and each found that hearing Castle's voice from time to time had cheered them up most times.

"Time to start dinner?" Alexis offers.

"Sure let me get washed up and you can help me. I'm going to try and remember one of my mother's recipes. It's been a while, hopefully I won't screw it up." Kate laughs at herself.

Alexis was doing her part. "Mom have you ever wondered why dad can talk to us but you haven't heard your mother?" Alexis had a theory but wanted Kate's input first.

"Not much no. Maybe because I was so convinced that the dead couldn't talk, so maybe I just can't hear her if she did. …. I presume you have a theory since you asked." Kate was getting a good handle on how Alexis thought most times. Kate had placed her heart in Castle's hands and even though he was gone, she would do it again. Now Alexis had her heart even if she wasn't her daughter by birth, Alexis was still hers.

"I was thinking it was because your mother moved on and dad chose not to." Alexis explains.

"Moved on?" Kate questions.

"I've done some reading. Being alive is just one phase of living, after you die is just another phase. …. After you die you have a choice. Move on to the next phase or stay behind to watch over the ones you love. Or maybe you were killed and can't get passed that and can't accept moving on. So you haunt a location or person." Alexis offers.

"So Castle chose to not move on like my mother and stayed behind to haunt us." Kate teases using the word Alexis doesn't like.

"MOM!?" Alexis takes exception to the word "Haunt".

Kate just grins knowing she is just toying with her. "You think he will move on eventually?" Meaning will they stop hearing his voice eventually.

"I don't know. I guess that's up to dad. Does he feel comfortable enough to leave us behind and not need to watch us, or try and save our lives." Alexis references the guys with shotguns yet again.

"I do have something I need to show you though. Dad gave us a new word today so I added it to the board, but haven't done anything with it yet." Alexis tells her.

"Oh, any guesses on what it means?" Kate was curious now.

Alexis shakes her head. "It looks like we need to do some research first to figure out where to place it. I can show you after dinner."

Martha comes walking down the stairs. "I can smell you're cooking Katherine."

Kate smiles. "Hi Martha. Are you planning on staying to eat or do you have plans?" Martha was in Kate's heart now too.

"Both dear. I have plenty of time to eat your cooking and I have plans, so I'll be late. No need to wait up." Martha tells them.

"I have new pictures if you would like to see." Kate hands over the copies of the ultrasound.

"He or she is growing up fast Katherine." Martha points out.

"It's a boy and I found out today actually, and yes he is. I'm going to be as big as a house soon." Kate wasn't looking forward to that.

"Richard would be so proud. …. Did they tell you how far along you are?" Martha asks curious about something.

"Just about 5 months. If they are right and my math is right, it would have been when I was in Chicago surprising Castle." Kate explains thinking she knew just when she got pregnant. It might have been the hotel before the baseball game or the hotel after.

Castle had been gone too long for her to have been pregnant before he left on his book tour.

"Well whatever it is you have planned I hope you have fun. Just remember to press the buttons when you get home this time." Kate chides her a little.

"I'll try dear, but I make no promises." Martha had forgotten to press the buttons on the security panel a couple of times. Leaving it to Kate or Alexis to assure the police units that had arrived that it was a false alarm. Though Martha was mostly pretty good at it.

Martha had excused herself for the evening and had pressed the appropriate buttons to get out the door with the alarm active.

"Ok, show me what you've got pumpkin." Kate was willing to look now that Martha was gone. Neither of them wanted Martha to know what they were both up to.

They had also both decided not to tell Martha that Castle was talking to them. If Castle wasn't talking to Martha they weren't going to bring it up and make her feel bad. And if he was and Martha was keeping it to herself, they were going to let her do just that.

Kate and Alexis were now standing in front of Castle's giant electronic murder board. It had everything Kate knew or had about her mother's death. Now it also had the occasional word that Castle gave them and everything they could find associated with that word.

Alexis brought it up on the screen. FUTURE FORWARD.

"Ok, that's not a name I know anything about." Kate mentions. "Can you do a search thru the servers we have set up?" Kate and Alexis have set up a system that will allow them to search the internet with an IP address that is routed thru a number of proxy servers. Most of them being out of the country making it impossible to trace.

**1. Mobile Future Forward, **now in its _5th year_,is a mobile thought-leadership summit that attracts some of the most influential minds in the mobile industry who are very instrumental in shaping the industry, in innovation adoption, and in managing the growth of revenues and profits. The experts and visionaries from around the globe will gather in Seattle on Sept 24th to explore the mobile industry 2-5 years forward, envision what the user experiences and use cases look like, discuss and debate the challenges and opportunities in the journey to that vision.

2. Future Forward Consulting is a service that provides strategic direction, guidance, advice and support to the sports & fashion industry in business development and project challenges.

3. Through independent research and innovation, the Filene Research Institute explores issues vital to the future of credit unions and consumer finance.4. Future Forward Internship Academy

4. Welcome to the New York State Office of the State Comptroller's Future Forward Internship Academy Web page. The goal of the Academy is to provide a unique, highly engaging opportunity for diverse talented, full-time college students to experience government service. Successful program participants will receive up to 13 upper-level college credits towards a baccalaureate degree. Students will also receive a stipend. Applicants must be in their junior or senior year of college at the time of application. Space is limited; therefore, timely submission of application and required documents is essential. All majors will be considered.

5. Super PACs are a new kind of political action committee created in July 2010 following the outcome of a federal court case known as _ v. Federal Election Commission_. Technically known as independent expenditure-only committees, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates. Super PACs must, however, report their donors to the Federal Election Commission on a monthly or quarterly basis - the Super PAC's choice - as a traditional PAC would. Unlike traditional PACs, Super PACs are prohibited from donating money directly to political candidates.

"So we've got a mobile communication think tank. A consulting firm for the sports and fashion industry. Like those two really go together." Alexis was confused about that.

"A research group for Credit Unions. An Academy for college students and a political Super PAC." Kate finishes the list.

"Start up the program and have it start searching for the board members, CEO's, Presidents, people who have the most stock in the company and who runs our Super PAC and who they support." Kate tells Alexis.

The papers in Castle's safe had come in handy to find people to setup this little network. Along with a number of other names for other things Castle knew and would do a favor for him even after he was gone.

"I never knew Castle knew this many people. He kept telling me he knew people." Kate was still amazed at who Castle knew and would do things for him.

"Is it done with Castle's latest hint?" Kate asks Alexis.

Johnny Vong, a New York City hustler pushing a get-rich-quick scheme on TV, DVD's into the United States packaged with the instructional DVDs his infomercials pushed from Hong Kong.

"Sounds like illegal drugs somehow. Have it run a search on his company and where his DVD's are made in Hong Kong and where they are stored when they reach the U.S." Kate asks of Alexis.

Alexis had shown that she knew so much more about this kind of technology than Kate did.

Of course Kate already knew about Johnny Vong and his drugs. But it needed to be input into the system so it could search properly.

"Think we are getting anywhere mom?" It seemed to her they were searching a lot of stuff.

"Castle is giving us words that have nothing to do with what we are doing at the time really. Except for when we are talking about my mom." Kate reminds her.

"Yea, when we are down, he tells us he loves us. When we are emotional, dad always seems to have something to say to pick us up. So it makes sense." Alexis counters.

"But why not just give me a name?" Kate wanted to know who, not go chasing every little thing.

"And if we got it, how would we prove it?" Alexis counters.

"Yea, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like this process." Kate wanted to know so she could go after him now, not later.

"We're getting their mom, and dad is helping." Alexis points out.

"And so are you pumpkin, and I love you for it. I think Castle would be proud of you." Kate hugs Alexis. Alexis was doing a lot of work to help put her heart back together.

Without Alexis, Martha and the baby she would be long since gone by now.


	20. Chapter 20

**CH20**

It was now 3 months later:

Kate was now 8 months pregnant and was going on maternity leave soon. It was now clear to everyone that Kate was pregnant.

Kate and Alexis had gone back to the baby store they had both been to earlier when Kate had only just found out she was pregnant. They had almost bought everything in the store. That same lady was still there and had been a big help.

She had even helped them pick out a car seat for the Mercedes and had shown Kate and Alexis how to install it. Then she went thru how to use the breast pump and how to store the milk for later use. Helped select baby bottles for the stored milk.

The crib was going to be delivered since she didn't have the precise one Kate had selected.

The painters had already come and gone from the guest room upstairs that was going to become the nursery.

Even without the crib Martha had given it her seal of approval.

Kate's pregnancy had forced her to go shopping for maternity clothes and of course Alexis went with her. However since Alexis was limited to $3,000 a week, Kate got to spend her own money this time and Alexis couldn't sneak in items that Kate didn't buy this time.

Kate and Alexis were standing in front of their murder board. "How we coming?" Kate asks since Alexis was more in charge of the system itself.

"One of the searches was completed the other night. Seems the Johnny Vong DVD's are associated with this person." Alexis moves it to the center.

"Dick Coonan. What do we know about him?" Kate asks.

The grieving younger brother of murder victim Jack Coonan, who had died of stab wounds. He professed his admiration for his older brother Jack, who worked for the Irish-American organized crime group known as the Westies, while mentioning that he himself had been building schools in Afghanistan.

But one Latin King named Mario "Trucho" Mendoza started dealing on Westie territory. Finn Rourke didn't permit drug dealing even from his own gang, let alone by sworn enemies, so he sent Jack Coonan to find and kill whoever was behind the incursion. Jack discovered how the drugs were entering the United States, and even who was responsible, but the hardened gangster couldn't bring himself to kill his own brother. He tried to blackmail Dick into giving up drugs by threatening to go to the FBI. Dick Coonan had no such qualms, however, and murdered Jack to protect himself. Finn Rourke was aware of what happened, but considered Dick too dangerous and so placed the blame on the Latin Kings instead.

"He seems to be tied to this file." Alexis brings it up.

Dr. Murray was a forensic pathologist - regarded as the best in New York - who had previously advised Richard Castle on details for his past books (one such piece of advice being the effects of putting a human head in a microwave). Castle contacted Murray to ask for his opinion on the murder of Beckett's mother.

Murray's analysis of the case file determined that, although Beckett's mother had been stabbed multiple times, only one blow had been actually fatal, the initial thrust, with everything else being added merely to give the impression that the attack was random, his analysis of similar assaults from the same time - requesting the additional information on a hunch - suggesting that Beckett's mother was murdered by a contract killer.

Murray returned when Doctor Lanie Parish asked for his opinion when she was analyzing the body of Irish mobster and Westie Jack Coonan, Murray's analysis confirming that Jack was killed by the same person who had killed Beckett's mother.

"So Dick Coonan is involved somehow. Now is he the killer or did he hire someone to kill my mom?" Kate whispers out.

Of course Kate already knew a lot about Dick Coonan, since she was the one that killed him. He was going to kill Castle and she had to make a choice. It was more about a test of the program and Alexis's skills that anything else.

"There is a little more on him mom." And Alexis moves it to the front.

"So he's an ex-special forces guy. He's beginning to sound like a contract killer who got paid by someone. But who paid him and how did they pay him?" Kate wonders. He may have been the person who killed her mother but not the guy who ordered it. And Kate wanted both of them.

"So who is this Dick Coonan associated with?" Kate asks wondering if they had that missing piece.

"We got that this morning mom." Alexis responds. And moves that section to the front.

"Future Forward." Kate sees it. "Are we anywhere with this Future Forward?"

"So far the program has eliminated the Consulting agency for sports and fashion, the Research Institute for Credit Unions, and the entity that deals with college students." Alexis tells her. "The program is still working on the other two."

"We're almost there Alexis, I can feel it. I've never been this close before." Kate was excited.

"We wouldn't be here without dad, mom. His tips have done a lot for us." Alexis points out.

Kate steps next to Alexis and tries to wrap her arms around her, which isn't easy with the size of her stomach now. "I know pumpkin, even after he's gone he's still helping. And I'd trade in every tip he's given us if it would bring him back.

The closer the baby comes the more I miss him. He should be here for the birth of his son." Kate was still missing Castle, the pain in her heart was still there, she didn't think that would ever change.

"I'll be there Kate, I promise." Castle tells them.

"I know mom, I miss him too. But I'm glad he found you, or I would be all alone. Even more so then after your mother died." All Alexis would have had left in her life would be Martha.

"Kate is the best pumpkin." Castle tells them.

"WOW!" Alexis moves back and places her hand on Kate's stomach. "He's really moving tonight." Alexis could feel him moving.

"I'm thinking he can hear his daddy's voice and it has him going." Kate tells Alexis.

"This from the lady who doesn't believe in ghosts." Alexis teases, getting Kate to start laughing.

Kate had made big strides lately and even she recognized them.

"Have you decided on a name yet? Or is it going to be a last minute thing?" Alexis was curious, since she had her favorites.

"Alexander James Castle." Kate tells Alexis thinking she would love it.

"You named the baby after dad's real middle name?" Alexis went back to hugging Kate.

"ALEXANDER!?" Castle yells at them.

"Sounds like your father approves." Kate comments getting Alexis to giggle. Castle's voice was still just short words, not a real conversation. However Kate and Alexis had worked out a way to get him to respond more often.

They really had gotten used to Castle and his quick comments. It wasn't the same for either of them, but Castle was still here and it actually helped a little.

"I'm going to go to bed mom. Tomorrow is Monday so I have school." Alexis reminds Kate.

"I remember. Your days at the precinct are down to two days a week. …. The gang and I are missing you pumpkin. It's just not the same without a Castle in the precinct." Kate hugs her again.

"Dad will be there mom, even if you don't see him. He'll be there." Alexis had faith.

"Good night pumpkin." Kate kisses her head.

"Good night mom." Alexis leaves the study and goes upstairs to her room.

Kate starts heading for the master bedroom when her cell phone rings. "Castle." Kate doesn't recognize the number but the prefix told her California.

"Yes I know a Meredith Lee." Kate is forced to admit. "SHE DID WHAT?" Kate was shocked and then suddenly mad.

"No she has no right to be in the house. … What's broken?" Kate didn't want to hear it but needed to have fixed anything she had broken.

"She threw a brick thru the glass patio door." Kate rubs her hand down her face.

"Yes, arrest her. I'll arrange to have someone come out and fix the patio door. Thanks for calling me." Kate ended the call.

"Damn that woman. It's a good thing you're dead Castle or I would kill you for every marrying her." Kate was learning to hate Meredith.

"Sorry Kate." Castle tells her.

Kate sighs and scrolls thru her list. "Hi Steve, I need a favor. Meredith threw a brick thru the glass patio door at the house in Bel-Air in order to gain entrance and set off the alarm. I agreed to have her arrested and will have forms to fill out when I get to the precinct in the morning.

I need you to arrange to have the glass door replaced. I'm assuming your local guy still has a key and the alarm code?" Kate asks.

"Yea that will be great, thanks Steve. Since it's Alexis's house and she can't sell it for a few years, can we arrange to have it rented out to someone responsible? I don't really like the idea of it sitting there empty." Kate asks.

"Yes, whoever rents it will need to be informed of Meredith and the possibility that she will return and possibly run some kind of scan or scheme to gain entrance and stay there." Kate agrees. Probably thereby reducing the potential number of people willing to rent it. "That woman is a real pain in the, …"

"Thanks Steve." Kate ends the call.

"You're still in trouble Castle. Being dead isn't going to get you out of this." Somehow Kate knew he was listening even if he didn't always respond. Though it felt silly talking to someone who wasn't there, but kinda was.

Kate washed up and changed into her sleep clothes, but she had a problem.

"Damn it! I'm horny again and I'm too big to reach anymore. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT CASTLE!" Kate knew she wouldn't be this horny if she wasn't pregnant and could still reach when she was horny.

"Dream Kate, just dream." Castle responds.

Kate didn't get it, dreaming wasn't going to help her condition. But there wasn't anything else to do.

Kate was shifting in the bed trying to find a comfortable position but nothing seemed to be working. Plus she wanted Castle. She wanted to make love to him and have him make love to her. Another part of having Castle gone that was painful.

Kate was falling apart. Horny and all alone in their giant bed unable to get comfortable. Eventually she cried herself to sleep. Kate wanted Castle.

Kate was standing in the doorway leading to the bathroom of the hotel in Chicago, only this time Kate was naked and very pregnant. "Hi Castle, miss me?" As she dangles the hand cuffs from her fingers.

Next thing Kate knew they were walking down the hallway to the elevator with towels around their shoulders while both of them were buck naked.

There wasn't a person in sight. Even the lobby was empty when they got there. They ran across Gina coming from the pool area headed back for her room. Castle didn't even see her but Kate did and stuck her tongue out at her. Noticing that Gina didn't seem to see them.

Once in the Jacuzzi, Kate was feeling so much better with Castle in her arms. Then they started making out in the Jacuzzi getting Kate all warmed up, in more ways than one. Soon they were having sex in the Jacuzzi and the baby was somehow not in the way.

Then they rolled over and into the pool and swam a couple of laps, then had sex in the pool.

On the way back up to their room Castle had his hand on Kate's ass the whole way. Except for Gina, neither of them saw a single person the entire time.

"Go sign your books Castle, I'll be here when you get back." Kate was going to devour him for round four when he did.

Kate woke the next morning feeling better than she had in a long time. She wasn't even horny anymore for some reason.

Kate can feel that last night's sleep had been free of any nightmares; however she couldn't remember just what her dreams had been about. Just that she felt a whole lot better this morning.

Kate found Alexis in the kitchen finishing making breakfast for her. "Hi Alexis, cooking this morning?" Kate notes it is not usual for Alexis to be cooking breakfast.

"Hi mom. I was in the mood, so I figured I would share my good mood." Alexis explains.

"You too? …. I don't know what happened last night. I know I went to bed missing Castle and then woke up feeling better than I have for a long time." Like from a time before Castle died to be precise.

"I think it was dad, but I'm not sure how. …. I woke up with a set of numbers in my head so I put them on the murder board. It's running a search of them right now." Alexis explains.

"Oh, any guesses?" Kate starts eating and drinking.

"Not really. …. It wasn't the right amount of numbers for longitude and latitude. Not right for a phone number. Not enough numbers for bank routing and account numbers. …. I don't know, it's got me stumped." Alexis was done and joined Kate in eating.

"Where's Martha?" Kate noticed her absence. Usually the smell of something cooking got her down by now.

"Grams was up and out early this morning. She said something about an appointment, but wouldn't tell me what." Alexis responds.

It did sound like Martha. Kate just wonders what it was about. "Well I'll look at those numbers when I get home tonight. Have a nice time in school." Kate rinses off her plate and her glass, then kisses Alexis's head and heads for the door.

"When do you start maternity leave?" Alexis calls after her just before Kate reaches the security panel.

"The end of this week actually. Until then it's boring paperwork sitting at my desk." Kate responds and then leaves.

Kate was sitting at her desk hours later when her cell phone pinged at her. That was new! It had never done that before.

Kate pulled out her phone and activated the screen that was on it. It instantly showed three men in her home standing in the door way while 2 of them worked on the security panel just inside the door.

Her home had intruders. "Espo get some units to the loft, someone has broken in. It looks like three of them." Kate tells him while watching her phone. "Espo, at least one of them is armed." Kate had seen a hand gun on one of them.

They continued to work on the security panel. "One minute Beckett, …. Castle." Espo curses himself as he can't seem to ever get that right.

Kate gave them a few more seconds before she pressed the panic alarm button getting the siren to go off.

Kate watched them abandon the panel leaving it open while they had worked on the wiring inside. They actually closed the door on the way out. Seeing this Kate pushed the button to activate the fog machine. Instantly filling the hallway with pepper spray gas.

Using her phone Kate followed them down the hall, then down the stairwell, and finally outside. Hacking and coughing with their eyes burning and tears running down their face.

Right into six uniforms with their guns drawn yelling at them.

Kate got to watch as they disarmed each of them of their hand guns and cuff them while lying on the concrete just outside her building.

It wasn't a homicide, so Kate and the guys didn't have much say in what happened next. However it was Kate's home they broke into so she got to find out what was going on and file a report that made sure they were arrested.

"Who are they?" Kate asked the guy in charge with Montgomery standing next to her.

"They're not talking and have asked for a lawyer." Is the response.

"Run their prints." Kate tells him.

"Already under way. Your video shows them clearly breaking in and they don't have weapon permits for the concealed weapons they were carrying either. So we are keeping them even after their lawyer gets here." Kate is assured they are not leaving anytime soon.

"Let me know who their lawyer is, I'd like to know. " Kate was going to add him to their murder board back home, along with these three.

"I need to go home and repair my home." Kate comments.

"Take the day off Castle. You don't need to be back here till tomorrow." Montgomery tells her. "These three will still be here."

"Thank you sir." Kate tells him and goes upstairs to collect her things. Then makes a call to the security installer. The panel no doubt needed to be repaired and the pepper spray gas bottle needed to be replaced, now that it was empty.

"Everything ok, …. Castle." Espo was going to get it right even if it killed him.

"Ryan, can you keep an eye on those three. I want to know their names and the name of their lawyer as soon as they know." Kate asks of him.

"Sure Castle, not a problem." Ryan had an easier time of remembering to call her Castle instead of Beckett than Javi was. Not that it didn't feel strange to him, because it did. Beckett was Beckett and Castle was Castle. Mixing them up was confusing.

"Espo I need you to go pick up Alexis from school in a couple of hours. I don't like the thought of her getting home alone after this." Kate didn't even like her being alone in school after this, but was willing to let her stay. Kate wasn't going to panic, just yet.

"Not a problem. I hope Martha wasn't there when this happened." Espo tells Kate.

"Martha!" Kate had no idea where Martha was. A phone call on the way home took care of that however.

Kate had let the security tech guy in and he started working on the security panel trying to figure out what they had done to it. He had not yet replaced the pepper spray gas tank.

Espo with Alexis showed up. "MOM!?" As Alexis ran over to Kate who was sitting at the breakfast bar watching the guy work.

"I'm fine pumpkin. No one was here when they broke in. And the system worked just like it was supposed to. Even if Martha had been here she could have watched the whole thing on her panel in her room and pressed the panic button sounding the alarm." Kate tried to calm any fears she had.

Since Espo and the security guy were still here she didn't ask the question she really wanted an answer to.

"Thanks Espo, I really didn't want Alexis traveling home alone after, …. This." Kate motions to the tech guy still at the front door.

"Not a problem. You sure you're ok? I can stay till he leaves." Espo didn't want them alone with no one to protect them with the security system being down.

"We'll be fine, you can go. And can you check with Ryan? I really want those names." Kate wanted to add them to her murder board and see what came back.

"You got it." And Espo went downstairs and called Ryan, but didn't leave until he saw the tech guy leave and then he called Castle to see if Ryan had called her. THEN and only then did he leave the loft area.

Kate was writing down the names Ryan was giving her while the security guy came up to Kate.

After Kate was off the phone. "Looks like they were trying to access the panel to kill the system. I don't think they understand the system. There are no copper wires. It's all optical cable, and the panels are only access points to activate or de-activate the system. Unless they gain access to the main console they can't do anything to the system itself.

And even then they would need a special device to make the optical connection.

However everything is repaired and your bottle has been replaced. You can activate the system after I leave." He explains to Kate and thanks her for using their service and then leaves. While Alexis is the one who goes over and activates the system.

"Got it Ryan thanks. Are they still holding them?" Kate listens for a time. "Thanks Ryan, keep me informed." Kate hangs up.

"I've got some new names for you to add to the program pumpkin." Kate hands over the list to Alexis and follows her into the study.

"Did they make it this far mom?" Were they blown she means while standing in the study.

"No, the video showed they were too busy trying to access the security panel." Kate responds.

Cole Maddox.

Thomas Marks.

Surgio Markov.

Ben Moss.

Alexis inputs the names. "Wow, that was fast." Alexis was impressed.

"Ben Moss is a lawyer and is associated with Future Forward." Alexis is reading.

"Marks and Markov have records." Alexis notices. Then whistles at the list for each. "Not exactly nice guys. Is Grams ok, she wasn't here for this was she?"

"Martha is fine and no she wasn't here when they broke in." Kate confirms so Alexis doesn't need to worry.

"Think they traced what we are doing to us?" Alexis asks.

"If they were after us, they would have waited for us to be home and made sure that we were. …. No I think they came snooping. You told me this can't be traced. Maybe they noticed someone has been searching, and since it involves my mother, they came to see if I'm involved." Kate is hoping that is the case anyway.

And since Kate was involved because she knew about Lockwood and Coonan, it sounded like a plausible explanation.

"Cole Maddox. So far nothing." Alexis was bummed.

"Give it some time. It'll find him eventually." Kate had some faith in the program now that she had seen results concerning things she already knew about.

"I've got one name for you pumpkin. Can you add Hal Lockwood to the search?" Kate asks of Alexis.

"Who's he?" Alexis was involved in all of this, or so she thinks.

"He's involved with Captain Montgomery somehow." Kate wasn't willing to explain how. Montgomery had been up to something but Kate and the guys had managed to talk him out of it. Then set a trap for Lockwood and his friends. Even today they were still in jail awaiting trial.

What bothered Kate was that Montgomery wasn't talking. Kate is sure he knows something but she is willing to go around him with this program and system that the two of them have created using Castle's contacts.


	21. Chapter 21

**CH21**

Kate was in the hospital suffering in pain. Which wasn't really true. There was pain but she didn't think of it as suffering. Kate had been in labor for the last 18 hours.

Having the doctor tell her she was going to still be in labor a few hours from now.

Alexis had been standing next to her the entire time. They had just started to look at their murder board to see if the program had anything new to tell them when Kate's water broke. It had been an organized mad scramble after that to get Kate to the hospital.

Three hours later Kate was now deep into labor and the doctor was telling Kate to breathe and push with each contraction.

"You're doing great Kate, I love you." Castle tells them.

Kate was hanging onto Alexis screaming in pain, grunting and moaning, with a lot of deep breathing in between.

"You're doing great Ms. Castle, just one or two more pushes." The doctor tells Kate.

"Almost there Kate, you're doing great." Castle urges her on. "Elephants have close families Kate. A family of elephants."

A few minutes later Kate is holding her son in her arms for a moment before he is taken away to be cleaned. He hadn't cried after being delivered, instead he had been quiet just like he was now.

"He's gorgeous mom! He even has dad's eyes." Alexis had seen them right away.

Martha was in the loft. It was late and she was waiting for word on if Katherine had delivered her baby yet.

Martha had just finished pouring a glass of wine to try and calm her nerves while she waited, when the front door opened.

Martha turned wondering who it could be. Katherine wouldn't be out of the hospital just yet, and why would Alexis come home to tell her when she could phone. No one else she knew of had a key.

Martha saw two men enter. One started for the panel at the door while the other one stepped in and started looking around, not having stepped in very far yet.

"Oh my!" Martha stepped over to the panel in the kitchen and pressed the panic button getting the alarm to sound immediately.

The two men cursed and ran out the door leaving the front door open.

Alexis was still staring at Alex who was in her mother arms just as a nurse stepped in to take him to clean him, weigh and measure him.

Alexis's phone beeped at her. Pulling it out she opened the screen that was showing. "The alarm at home has gone off." Alexis explains.

"WHAT?" Kate was still out of breath from having just delivered the baby.

Alexis pulled up the views of the cameras. "The front door is open. I don't see grams!" Alexis was suddenly afraid. Alexis changed the view. "I see two men running down the staircase. …. They are outside now. The doorman is lying on the ground." Alexis sounded scared to Kate.

"Call the guys and have them get units over there." Kate tells Alexis.

After Alexis has talked with Espo she goes back to looking at the views of the interior. While she is the nurse comes back with a nice clean Alexander.

"Hi Alexander, you know me? I'm your mommy." Kate stares at him and kisses him while looking him over.

"We'll get you moved into your room soon. Your baby should be ready to feed in a couple of hours." A nurse tells Kate mostly since Alexis looked to be busy using her phone.

"Can you see Martha?" Kate asks worried now.

Alexis shakes her head. "No, I can't find her anywhere." To Kate it sounded like Alexis was about ready to crack.

The two of them had been playing a dangerous game lately and Kate was now suddenly feeling guilty about that.

"Call her cell phone, see if she will answer." Kate asks of Alexis.

"Come on grams, pick up. Please pick up. …. It went to voice mail." Alexis was worried but not yet ready to start crying. It didn't look like the men had been inside that long. Maybe she was hiding somewhere.

"Call Espo and update him pumpkin." Kate asks her next.

After she talked with Espo she went back to viewing the video of the house.

"I see 4 men in uniforms entering the front door." Alexis starts giving a play by play while Kate holds Alex.

"I SEE GRAM"S!" Alexis suddenly calls out. "She was hiding in the kitchen."

Kate starts breathing again.

"The uniforms are searching the house. … I see four more uniforms entering the front door. …. They are talking to grams. …. I can see Espo entering thru the front door." Alexis tells Kate.

"Call Espo, have him put your grandmother on the phone so you can talk to her." Kate tells her hoping hearing Martha will calm her some.

"Give me the phone pumpkin, I want to talk to Espo." Kate held out her free hand.

"He's already hung up. He said he would call you later." Alexis explains.

"How is Martha?" Kate wanted to know how she was doing.

"Her first question was, and I quote. "Has Katherine delivered the baby?" End quote." Alexis tells Kate smiling.

Kate starts giggling. Martha was amazing, she really was.

"Call Steve and have him get the security company out to the house. It looks like we need a new door. People are getting in too easily." Two break-ins in a short period of time was two times too many.

WT-L8 Biometric door lock

**Durable Fingerprint Reader Adopts optical fingerprint sensor, CMOS chip.  
1**** . User Management and audit trail built into unit .  
2. graded users: Administrator, common user.**** Easy to read LCD display on back lock body  
3****.****Fingerprint, Pin, Pin + Fingerprint, or Key Access methods  
4. Ability to enter the person's name directly into the lock  
5. **** Low power alert  
6. ****Guest fingerprints expire automatically at a set date and time  
7. **** Deadbolt automatically engages when door closes  
8. ****Embedded store capacity up to 299 users  
9. Working temperature -25 degree C to 75 Degree C  
10. 4 (AA) alkaline battery, external power supply port (emergency)  
11. Standalone or Networked(Optional)**

Alexis programmed Kate into the front door so she could open it when she came home.

"Katherine dear, you're home! And you brought someone with you." Martha was instantly taking Alexander from Kate.

"And aren't you a handsome young man." Martha smiles at him getting Alex to smile back. "He has Richard's eyes."

"I think he looks like dad but has mom's hair and body shape." Alexis offers since she has been looking at him for longer than Martha has.

"I believe you are right dear. He's going to have women doing everything he wants when he grows up." Martha could see him having women fawning all over him.

"Let's get him to walking first shall we." Kate brings them back down to earth. "He should be sleeping Martha. I fed him before we left the hospital."

"I'll take him Katherine. I know what to do with babies." Martha has had practice after all.

Kate smiles as she watches Martha go upstairs with her son.

"There is something you should see mom." And Alexis heads for the study with Kate following, slowly. Kate still had some pain.

"It found Cole Maddox. He is associated with this group." Alexis brings it to the front. "Dick Coonan and Hal Lockwood are also associated with this same group." Alexis shows the connection.

"This group is part of this company that gets its financing from this group." Alexis shows the connection.

"Future Forward." Kate whispers.

"It also found the numbers that dad gave me. Turns out if was a bank account. Just one that was overseas. It was closed years ago but it was owned by this man." Alexis brings him forward.

"William H. Bracken." Kate read the name.

"I found that same name here." Alexis brings it to the front.

"Future Forward." Kate whispers again.

"They spend their money, millions of it, on his election campaigns. With their money backing him, he's rich mom. Even more rich than dad ever was." Alexis comments.

"Did it find who was running Future Forward?" Kate asks, not yet seeing anything she can use in court.

"So far just one, and he has a record. Probably why he was easy to find." Alexis comments and brings his name forward.

"Vulcan Simmons." Kate says the name with pure hatred of that name.

"You know him mom?" Alexis could hear it in her voice.

"Yea, I know him. He's the lowest of the low. A cold blooded murderer who deals mostly in drugs." Kate had slammed him against a wall and it had cost her then. It seems it was still costing her now.

"So Vulcan Simmons is who had my mother killed." Kate speculates. No wonder Simmons had teased her with her mother's death. He had, had her killed.

"Maybe, but why is he spending his money on Bracken?" Alexis doesn't understand.

"Bracken is a politician who needs money, he just happens to get it from Future Forward, who probably gets their money from the drugs Simmons sells." Kate doesn't see Bracken as the leader of this.

"What does Simmons get out of just giving Bracken money so he can get elected. Since elections cost money." Alexis understood the system. TV time could cost millions of dollars, and TV time was needed to get your message across.

"Maybe he has something on him. Something that could destroy him as a politician even after elected." Kate speculates.

"So Simmons has control over a United States Senator, but there are lots of Senators. What good does it do to control just one Senator?" One just wasn't enough, was it?

"Not if that one Senator makes it to the Presidency." Kate counters.

"Simmons makes it to the Presidency by having one as his puppet? Or is Bracken using him to get the money he needs?" Alexis could see a dilemma.

"We need something. We have a lot but we're missing something." Kate comments wondering what it was.

"What did dad say in the hospital?" Alexis knew they got a lot of their tips from Castle.

"Something about a family of elephants." Kate remembers. It made no sense at the time. What did elephants have to do with her being in labor?

"Plug in elephants and family of elephants. Let it search that for a while. And add Vulcan Simmons and Bracken to the list. Maybe one of them has something to do with elephants." Kate didn't get it.

"It would really help if you weren't so cryptic Castle." Kate tells open space, not expecting an answer. Kate and Alexis had learned that was not how it happened. "I have a call to make. …. Can you go check on Martha pumpkin. I haven't seen her since the break in. I'll be right up."

"Sure mom." Alexis was only too willing to check on Alex since she intended to help Kate with Alex as much as she could.

"Isn't he gorgeous grams?" Alexis found Alex in his crib with Martha standing over him, watching.

Martha turns to see Alexis enter. "He is. He looks like a little piece of Richard." Martha's walls were cracking as her tears start.

Alexis hugs Martha. "I miss dad too grams and Alex is going to know all about dad, because we are going to tell him."

Martha hugged Alexis back. Martha had lots of stories about her son starting with even before he was born. Yeah, Martha could do that.

Kate came upstairs to check on them. "I miss something?" Kate asks noticing they are hugging each other.

"He's gorgeous Katherine, you did good. I can see Richard in him as well as a little of you." Martha still had tears.

Kate moves over to hug them both. "I'm going to need your help Martha. I've never done this before." Kate did feel a little over her head.

"We'll both be here for you dear." Martha had hoped her son would give her another grandchild so she could spoil him. Now she was going to help Katherine raise him.

Kate was sitting in the nursery nursing Alex when Alexis came in to check on both of them. "He's smaller than I thought he would be."

"From my point of view 7 pounds 3 ounces felt a lot closer to 22 pounds 2 ounces." The entire process of being pregnant had been a strain on Kate. She was used to being thin and having strength. Being pregnant and delivering a baby had changed all that.

"How do you feel? Should I go get a pain pill?" Kate had come home with medication.

"Not yet. Maybe when I go to bed. It would be nice to at least get some sleep." Kate was afraid of not getting any sleep at all.

"None of us are going to get any sleep for a long time. You need to feed him almost every two hours." Alexis points out.

Kate sighs while still nursing Alex. "Don't remind me." Kate comments looking down at the baby at her breast. "Oh, I've got some names for you to add. They're on the chest of drawers over there." Kate motions with her head.

Alexis finds the piece of paper and finds three names on it. "We already have this one name."

"I know, but lawyers serve more than one client all the time. Input him again with those two. Maybe it means something and maybe it doesn't. …. And see how it's doing with the elephants." Kate asks of her.

"These the two that broke in while grams was home and we were at the hospital?" Alexis guesses she is right but just wanted to make sure.

"I got them from Ryan." Kate nods her head.

Alexis inserts the names and comes back to Kate who is done nursing Alex and is putting him down in his crib.

**Elephant Family** is a conservation movement registered in 2002 which exists to save the endangered Asian elephant from extinction in the wild, along with tigers, orangutans and all the other animals who share their habitat.

Highly intelligent, emotional, and expressive animals, it is little surprise that elephants live by social rules that are intricate. So complex and layered are they, that in elephant society males and females live in completely different worlds, with females dwelling in tightly bonded families that stay together for life, and males living a largely solitary existence.

"No connection with Future Forward?" Kate asks hoping Castle's words led them to something. Only to get Alexis to shake her head.

It is now one month later:

Kate is still home on maternity leave and would be for a number of weeks still.

Alexis was going into the precinct twice a week to work with Dr. Parrish who would drill Alexis with questions about Kate and the baby. Lanie and Kate had been talking at least twice a week but Lanie wanted to hear it from Alexis. Kate liked to keep some things guarded and Lanie wanted unfiltered information.

Alexis went up to the bullpen with the latest data Lanie had on the case Ryan and Espo were working on.

"Alexis, how is Beckett? ….. Castle." Espo shakes his head. He still couldn't get it right.

Alexis just grinned. "Mom and the baby are fine. Mom is thinking of bringing him by so everyone can see him next week. ….. These are from Lanie." Alexis hands over the papers.

Alexis starts walking back downstairs but stops at Kate's desk. On it she finds a family of elephants on her desk. Alexis picks it up and takes it with her with the intention of taking it home and give it to Kate. Maybe she knew why it was on her desk.

When Alexis got home she found Kate in the nursery just putting Alex down in his crib. "He doesn't cry much mom." Alexis has noticed he is a very quiet baby most of the time.

"No he doesn't does he. … Only when he wants to be fed. …. Is that from my desk." Kate has noticed what Alexis has in her hands.

"Yeah, the program isn't finding much on elephants, except for the real ones. I was wondering why you had this on your desk?" Alexis wanted an answer.

"My mom gave it to me, it's about an elephant family. It was the last thing she ever gave me. It became special to me." Kate hands it back to Alexis.

"Elephant family." Alexis whispers and starts looking it over and running her hands over all of it.

Then suddenly Alexis sees some lines and starts pulling and prying with her fingers. Soon she has a big piece in one hand and a smaller one in the other, and they both watch as a tape falls out and hits the floor.

Kate is watching an arrested William H. Bracken being placed in a police cruiser with Alexander in Alexis's arms standing next to her.

"I wouldn't be here without you pumpkin." Kate was proud of her.

"It was mostly dad's tips and his friend's mom." Alexis knows she helped, but thinks it was mostly her dad.

"Maybe." Kate however knew they wouldn't have the program or know how to use it without Alexis.

"Mom, …. Have you heard dad's voice lately?" Alexis hadn't heard his short words for weeks now or longer.

Kate thought about it. "No, I haven't. Not for weeks I think." Kate didn't know how long.

"You think he's moved on?" Alexis mentions her theory one more time. "We got your mother's killer and you've had his baby."

Kate felt great! She had finished something she had told herself she would accomplish when she left college and gave up her dream.

Kate still loved Castle so very much. Kate had a daughter who was now a teenager. Kate had a new mother who was helping her to raise her son. Kate had a piece of Castle in their son.

And she loved all of them a lot. Her heart was still hurting but it wasn't broken like it had been.

Her family had put it back together for her. "Maybe pumpkin. …. Maybe."

Kate had her happily ever after, and it was because of Castle and his family that was hers now.

"Sometimes _the hardest part isn't letting go_ but rather learning to start over."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I know it's a short story, not typical for me. And for the record people we love die all the time. I lost my Aunt Ruth 2 days ago. i still miss her and probably will for a while yet.

So, a question for everyone - Does Kate's happiness rely on Rick being alive?

Anyway, back to Stranger and Stranger since i promised. I'm only up to chapter 5 so far, so give me a week or two.

Book two will have a new name, so keep your eye open for it.

See you in the funny papers! (Oh god, I'm showing my age. Some of you probably don't know that saying. OH THE PAIN! (Mr. Smith from Lost in Space)).

Please tell me you've seen Lost in Space!


	22. Chapter 22

**Author Note:**

I know, I know you're expecting a chapter. Sorry to disappoint you.

I'm borrowing a computer to access my account. It has been a complex and busy weekend and since I'm not home I don't have access to my flash drive that I keep the story on. I upload one chapter at a time into my account, then post it after I review it.

I'll be back Monday, I promise.

I have a travel day on August 21, 2014.

I'll be in London on August 22, 23 and 24. Then move on by train to Paris for August 25, 26 and 27 (already have my pass for Disneyland Paris on the 27th. This is going to be sooooo cool). Then move on by train again to Amsterdam for August 28, 29 and 30. Then fly home on the 31st.

So if any of my readers are from those areas and want to show me their city, let me know. I'll be happy to let you show me your city. Show me what the tourists don't see. It'll be fun.

I already have a pub tour set up for London, and a bike tour of Amsterdam.

There is an escorted tour (probably by bus or van) for the 23rd in London, the 26th in Paris and the 29th in Amsterdam. Except for the late at night pub tour on the 24th and the day at Disneyland on the 27th and the bike tour on the 30th, I'm free.


End file.
